Only In Dreams
by emerald-wind
Summary: Shuichi is leaving for Hokkaido, but it seems that Yuki has more reasons why he won't let him go... and he can't explain why! A crossover of Gravitation and two other closely-related shounen-ai series. Reviews are much appreciated!
1. Intuition

**Chapter 1: Intuition**

"But Yuki!!!" a childish voice echoed, breaking the tranquility of the apartment. Shuichi clenched his fist, and did his best to make his teary-puppy-dog-eyes effect, which at the moment, proved unsuccessful.

"If you're leaving, might as well bring all your things with you." Yuki bluntly answered back, his sharp, golden eyes staring back at Shuichi.

"But I have no other choice, Yuki! K-san says that this would be a big break for the band. With our sales dropping, he says that this would be one of the best ways to get us back to the top. And all I have to do now is stay at Hokkaido for three weeks and then it's over. I asked him if you could come but he said that I would be too distracted and all and--" Shuichi paused as he noticed the golden glow of Yuki's eyes grow to a mellow amber. He knew Yuki... cold on the outside, but warm on the inside. And even for the longest time of staying with him, Yuki's unpredictability still surprised him.

"Three weeks?" Yuki repeated, shutting his eyes and turning his back to Shuichi. He sat himself on his seat and opened his laptop. Shuichi paused for a moment, sadness evident on his face. "Yes, three weeks..." He answered softly.

"Fine, if that's the only way... It's not like I can stop you." Yuki mumbled as he typed on his laptop. Shuichi knew the sorrow in Yuki's tone, and even then, Yuki still didn't want to show his feelings.

Shuichi slowly walked towards Yuki, sensing the gloom within his lover. He softly placed his hands on Yuki's shoulder, then let them run across his chest as he tenderly hugged him. The tapping stopped for a moment, as only heartbeat seemed to be the only audible sound.

"I'll be back soon, don't worry..." Shuichi whispered into his ear.

He slowly let go, then smiled as he noticed that Yuki had not been typing anything coherent. Noticing the stillness in Yuki, he decided that he assured him enough. He walked towards the door, opened it, then as he was about to shut it, he heard Yuki give the most heart-warming message he could have ever said...

"Don't do anything stupid."

* * *

Shuichi sat on the window seat, knowing that he sometimes got airsick. He stared out of the plane's window as the plane's roar was muffled, with K finally shutting the door and comfortably taking his seat behind Shuichi.

"Hey," A soft tone broke Shuichi's train of thought.

"What is it?" Shuichi looked up at his brown-haired friend.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure Yuki will be fine. I mean, you've been doing this for how many times already." Hiro reassured Shuichi.

"Thanks Hiro. But, it's not that... I mean, Yuki barely cares when I leave. But this time, I'll be gone longer than usual, and with the both of us so far away, anything could happen. And he said something that bothered me a bit, but I never got to clear things up with him."

"Shuichi... that's why they invented the cellphone." Hiro smirked.

Shuichi's eyes lit up, "Hey! You're right!" He smiled widely as he instantly picked up his bag and went through it..

"What are you doing, Shuichi?" Hiro asked.

"I'm going to call Yuki right now! I'm going to tell him that he shouldn't worry and that I won't be gone for that long and that when back I come I'll----" Shuichi paused in the middle of the commotion.

"What is it?" Hiro felt a sweatdrop forming at the back of his head.

"M-my phone... It's not here!" Shuichi gasped in horror.

A taunting whistle sounded from behind them.

"Not to worry, Shuichi kun!!!" K announced triumphantly, "I'm keeping hold of your phone during the whole trip! Ohohohohoooo!!!"

"B-but why K-san?!?!" Shuichi said annoyingly as he tried to look at K, " If only the plane wasn't taking off," he thought.

"Like I said, Shuichi kunnnn!" K said with a smile, "No distractions during the whole trip! We can't afford to lose this chance! Ohohohohoooo!!!" K laughed as Shuichi's cellphone dangled from his hand.

"Eeeevil..." Shuichi mumbled under his breath as he silently cried a river.

"Don't worry Shuichi, I'll lend you my phone." Hiro winked at his distressed friend.

"Arigatou, Hiro kun!" Shuichi replied as he sniffed, making sure that K didn't hear the conversation.

* * *

The plane's wheels screeched as they finally landed. Shuichi was aroused from his light slumber; he hadn't noticed that he had fallen asleep.

"We're here!" Hiro smiled as he stretched.

"I wonder how much has changed since I last visited," Fujisaki thought loudly as he stared out the window.

"Just make sure, people, we're here on business! Business, business! okay???" Sakano reminded, he was worried that they would do some sightseeing than working.

As the plane finally came to a halt, and they finally alighted, Shuichi found himself worrying again about Yuki. Hiro noticed the expression on his face, and patted Shuichi's shoulder to comfort him. Shuichi smiled back, as the group made their way through the airport.

K went ahead, as usual, and searched for anyone who would be holding up a sign labeled, "K". He thought that using his name would have been safer, since it was a problem to get through the fans once they discovered that Bad Luck was walking around the airport in broad daylight. He didn't see anyone, so they all decided to stay at the waiting area as K went around the airport some more, track down the guy and possibly scare him a bit for being late... although everyone knew that "a bit" meant a traumatizing experience.

Shuichi blankly stared out into space as he chewed indefinitely on a pocky stick. He couldn't dismiss Yuki's words as he broke the news that he was leaving for a while. He recalled the whole scene, hoping to decipher what Yuki could have possibly meant.

"Yuki! I have some bad news..." Shuichi proposed as he walked into Yuki's room.

"What is it?" Yuki rubbed his eyes as he got up from his bed. It was obvious that Shuichi had unintentionally aroused him from his sleep... again.

"K san said that the band has to leave for Hokkaido and it the plane's going tomo--" Shuichi paused as he noticed the surprise on Yuki's face. "What's wrong, Yuki?" He asked.

"Hokkaido? You mean, tomorrow? The 25th?" Yuki seemed disturbed.

"Yes, and I'm sorry it's all so sudden but K just told us today as well. It seems we have to pack at once... but... what's wrong Yuki?"

"I-it's nothing.." Yuki shook his head.

"Not with the way you look! Don't give me that..." Shuichi couldn't explain the fear he felt just looking at Yuki's expression.

"I never believe in dreams, Shuichi... but... the very same event... this moment.. I just dreamt it.. I don't understand.. this feels strange." Yuki mumbled.

"G-go on, Yuki.." Shuichi walked towards him as Yuki slowly stood up.

"I never believe in dreams, Shuichi... But, I can't let you go, I just can't." Yuki looked up at him, straight into his eyes. Shuichi was startled for a moment.

"Yuki? Why? What is it? What's wrong? You've never reacted like this.."

"I can't let you go there... It's... I don't know how to..." Yuki cursed under his breath as he tried to explain, "You're not going, that's it!"

"What's this about Yuki? I don't understand! You have to give me a reason! I can't tell K-san that I can't go because you won't allow me. Please tell me!" Shuichi's voice started to sound childish once more.

"I can't let you go... you can't..." Yuki's glare made Shuichi feel the gravity of his words. But still, he had no choice, he had to go.

"But Yuki!!!" Shuichi protested, his voice echoing through the stillness of the apartment.

Shuichi suddenly awoke from the daydream as a man in pure white walked by. He stared at the man for a moment, who seemed to moved slower than the crowd. His hair was a mix of silver and white, which reached his cheeks. Shuichi squinted, trying to make out the stranger's face. He thought there was something funny about the stranger's right eye, which was only visible for a moment as his hair was tossed by a gust of wind. The man paused, then slowly turned towards Shuichi. Shuichi felt his nerves turn cold- he knew that the man was looking right back at him. The piercing light on stranger's glasses made Shuichi blink for a moment.. and then he was gone.

"Shuichi!" Hiro tapped him on the shoulder, making Shuichi jerk.

"W-what?!!" Shuichi answered back nervously, as the other half of the pocky fell from his mouth.

"What's wrong?" Hiro looked at where Shuichi was staring, but saw nothing but billboards and crowds. "You looked troubled back there..."

"I-it's nothing!" Shuichi smiled, but the image of the stranger was still fresh in his mind.

"You sure?" Hiro knew that Shuichi was keeping something from him, "You're pale. What were you looking at anyway?"

"Uh... uh... uhm.." Shuichi thought fast, "I thought I just saw Ryuichi making his way through the crowd, turns out I was wrong, ahahaaaa!!!" Shuichi's scratched the back of his head

"You're a terrible liar, you know that?" Hiro said as-a-matter-of-factly

"I know... Ahahahahahahahaaaaaaa!!!!" Shuichi's boisterous laughter made people stare at him.

A girl in a school uniform pointed at him, "Hey, isn't that Shindou Shuichi?"

A seemingly-vengeful smile crept on everyone's faces... Shuichi knew what was going to happen next.

"RUNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!" Sakano screamed as they all tried to outrun the crazed mob that virtually crushed everything in its way.

A few minutes later, K walked back to the table, only to find it destroyed beyond recognition.

"Shuichi has done it again..." He smirked and followed the trail of crushed airport fixtures.

* * *

"Owowowowowowowowww!!!" Shuichi chanted in pain as Hiro applied a medicine on his wound.

"Why are crowds getting more and more violent, Hiro-kun?" Shuichi asked, sniffing, as Hiro finally wrapped his arm with a bandage.

"It just shows how good we are, hehe." Hiro smirked.

"Yeah, that's a good way of putting it!" Shuichi laughed cheerfully, then chanted a few "Ow's" as the wound in his stomach area was hurting again. "But they literally hit below the belt..."

K walked into the room, a magnum in hand, immediately making Shuichi and Hiro freeze.

"Finally! Ohohoho! I have found you two. "He laughed loudly as he placed the magnum at his side. "where are the others?"

"Fujisaki is in the next room, Sakano went out to buy food, since I told him he's the only one the crowds hardly ever go after."

Shuichi looked at Hiro for a moment, "Then why was he in full military uniform???"

"Ahahahaaa," Hiro diverted the conversation, "K-san what took you so long? I mean, didn't you know that we were at this apartment?"

"No, actually, it was only now that Mr. Misaki told me about our reservation... I spent the whole afternoon trying to look for that guy and all he gives me is a phone call.. if only he weren't a client I would've..." K's voice trailed off as he was doing neck-wringing gestures.

"Mr. Misukaki? Who is he?" Shuichi interrupted.

K sat down on the couch, and sighed.

"He's our client; he plans on making one of your songs into a commercial... with Bad Luck in it."

"But why all the way in Hokkaido?" Shuichi's eyebrows rose.

"The setting, my dear Shuichi-kun. They plan to use Spicy Marmalade for a jam commercial or something.. or was it an anti-depressant?" K started to mumble to himself again.

"So this is our big break?" Shuichi asked in an irate tone. "This... commercial?! Why the heck are we staying for 3 weeks?"

K looked at Shuichi with curiosity. He reached for a can of soda at the side table and opened it... as if intentionally making Shuichi's annoyance grow in waiting for him to answer.

"You remember your music video... Rage Beat, don't you, Shuichi-kun?" K answered in a low tone, and closing his eyes.

"Yeah... I do..."

"You know how many settings we took right? And how long it took until we finally aired it on TV?"

"Yeah, so?"

"This is exactly what they are doing again... but this time, it's taking a little longer since we have almost more than 16 settings for the video... Shuichi kun, you seem annoyed by this opportunity; don't you realize how this is going to help Bad Luck?"

Shuichi gulped as K was slowly standing up, in his intimidating pose, and walking towards them. Even Hiro could not utter a word.

"The jam doesn't matter... It's you.. It's Bad Luck. You matter! Do this well and the company gets its advertising, but as of the moment, the first thing that will catch the people's attention wouldn't be the jam. They'll be watching Bad Luck, and because you're there, they'd want the product... Don't you get it? It's you they want!!! And once they get to see you on TV, sales will most probably go up! Do you get it now? Do you??!?"

Shuichi gulped once more as K stood right in front of him. He could see K's fingers slightly tapping the magnum placed at his side.

"I knew I could trust in you, Shuichi-kun..." K had a serious expression on his face, which scared Shuichi even more.

"Now, I'm gonna go take a shower and go to bed... Ohohohohoooo!!! We should be up early tomorrow!" K suddenly switched to his lighter mood, and continued chuckling as he walked into the bathroom.

Shuichi and Hiro were left staring at the bathroom door... speechless... until Shuichi muttered,

"He's scary..."

* * *

Yuki tossed and turned. He could not shut his eyes, even for a moment. He looked at his side, which was bare, save for a pillow. He could not stop recalling the dream he had.

"This is stupid..." He thought.

He sees the dream, from the part where Shuichi walks into the room, telling him that he had to go to Hokkaido. Next, Shuichi said that it would only be three days..

"Three weeks... he told me three weeks... Why was it three days?" Yuki pondered.

Next, he saw Shuichi, standing by two unfamiliar people, as fire blazed around. It was like a scene from an action film, but Yuki could feel the heat of the flames. Shuichi looked over his shoulder, his tear-streaked cheeks, the sadness in his eyes. A bright light overcame Shuichi, and Yuki could see nothing until the light was gone...

"What did it mean? Why do I even care in the first place? It's just a stupid dream!" Yuki turned to his side and shut his eyes. He unknowingly fell asleep.

A man in white stood amidst a scenery full of ruin. He stood unscathed, his trench coat nothing but white, without even a speck of ash. Yuki's eyebrows met as he saw the man turn around, and holding a rose in his left hand. Yuki froze as he noticed his right eye, which was only obvious when the wind tossed his hair to the side. It was monstrous, totally unnatural than anything he had ever seen. The man smiled at him, which made him feel a cold sting creep up his spine.

Yuki could not explain why, but he walked towards the man, who seemed to beckon him. And as soon as Yuki was two feet away from him, the man smirked and turned, pointing to a certain direction. Yuki diverted his gaze through the ruin, and saw something familiar. He gasped. It was Shuichi, standing alone at the edge of an unstable structure.

"Shuichiii!!!" Yuki screamed in panic. He tried to run to Shuichi, who did not even his voice. Yuki ran as fast as his feet could take him, his heart pounding loudly. He suddenly came to a halt when he suddenly saw the man in white walking towards Shuichi. He turned around, and saw that the man he had left standing just a moment ago was now meters ahead of him. Yuki continued running, as he saw the man walking slowly towards Shuichi, approaching him from behind. Yuki was only a few meters away, when everything exploded, he saw nothing but bright light. He felt nothing but intense heat. he felt himself being thrown, the scratch of debris against his skin. His head swam with confusion, and yet he could think of nothing else but Shuichi.

Yuki woke up in cold sweat, breathing heavily as he patted himself, making sure that his was still all right. Once convinced that the whole thing was a dream, he closed his eyes, and lay his hands over his face. He had no idea what the dream was about, but he could still remember it in full detail. The man in white, his monstrous eye, Shuichi, the ruins... the memory was still fresh in his memory as if he had actually been there.

Yuki looked at the clock beside him...

"2 AM" it had only been two hours since he fell asleep. Now, he wondered whether he would still be able to get any sleep.

"Shuichi..." Yuki tenderly called, as if expecting him to answer back. But the knew he was alone, and he knew he was miles away; he could do nothing but wait for three weeks until he returned...

"Three.. weeks.." Yuki shut his eyes, picturing Shuichi in his mind as his comfort.

**Author's Note:** Oh my oh my... I wonder what I'm going to do next.. (feels the rage of the readers)... I'm going to continue this, yes yes!!! But first, I must make Shuichi act more lively, heheee... Anyways, I hope I don't screw this plot up... waaah!!!

I need coffee... sniff....


	2. Coincidence?

**Disclaimer:** All characters mentioned in this fic are not mine... yup yup! oh, except for Mr. Misaki, Sakamoto, Miraku (who is about ¼ mine :s ..you'll see!) and Hoshi... I forgot to say that in the last chapter. My bad!

**Chapter 2:** Coincidence

Shuichi woke up to the sounds of chimes and a guitar. He sat up, and saw Hiro playing his guitar, as he usually did-- eyes closed, and as if he were in a trance. The tune made Shuichi want to sing along, if only he knew the words.

Hiro noticed the awakened Shuichi; he stopped playing and rested the guitar on his lap, "Ooops!" He smiled, "Did I wake you?"

"Nah, Hiro kun!!" Shuichi smiled reassuringly, "I had the weirdest dream though..."

"Really? Do you mind telling me more about it?"

Shuichi shook his head, and blinked, "It's just... I thought I saw Yuki and he was... urgh.. I can't recall anymore! All I know is that it was a really weird dream.." Shuichi shook his head once more, then got up and fixed his bed.

"Oh, okay..." HIro slightly frowned, "and I thought I would get to hear all about it, haha.."

"Don't worry, Hiro kun, it's nothing!" Shuichi smiled as he got his towel and made his way to the bathroom. He locked the door and got into the shower.

"Yuki would never cry like that..." Shuichi thought to himself as the sound of water made him recall the dream.

K sat down, his legs crossed, arms folded across his chest as he waited impatiently for Shuichi. Hiro walked into the room and noticed his impatience.

"What's up, K?" Hiro greeted.

"Is Shuichi awake yet?" K asked, "This is the only time he can call Yuki, as agreed upon..."

A screeching sound startled the two, and the turned around and saw Shuichi, panting and at the same time, smiling widely.

"Good morning K-sannnn!!!" He greeted melodiously.

K handed over Shuichi's cellphone, then closed his eyes as he folded his arms once more. "Fine fine, you have an hour to talk to him."

Shuichi quickly dialed, his fingers almost slipping at every number. He placed the phone to his ear, and listened anxiously for the ringing to end.

"Hello?" A weary voice answered.

"Yuki!!!" Shuichi greeted, "how are you?!?!"

"It's only been a day, Shuichi" Yuki replied.

"I know I know!!!" Shuichi whined, "I can't believe how long it's been! Anything happen to you? What are you having for breakfast? What time did you sleep last night? Have you taken a bath yet? What did you do yesterday..." Shuichi went on as Yuki stayed silent at the other end; and though Shuichi couldn't see his face, he knew Yuki was smiling.

"What question am I supposed to answer first?" Yuki sarcastically replied when Shuichi was done with his myriad of questions.

"Uhm... what about..." Shuichi giggled, "how was your sleep last night?"

Yuki paused for a moment.

"Yuki, you still there?" Shuichi asked, and walked to the privacy of an empty room.

"Yeah... Last night..." Yuki paused a moment, unsure whether he should say anything.

Shuichi gasped, "Why are you acting funny Yuki?!... Don't tell me you.." He gasped even more, and let out a little scream.

"IDIOT!!! What are you thinking?!" Yuki screamed back at him.

"Oh, hehe, okay..." Shuichi sniffed. "I thought..."

"What about you, anything interesting happen over there?" Yuki asked.

"Oh! Yeah, it's really nice and chilly over here," Shuichi replied, then the thought of the man in white replayed in his thoughts.

"And..?" Yuki awakened Shuichi from his daydream.

"Oh! And uh... I thought I saw Ryu at the airport, but it wasn't him, hahahahaa! Isn't that silly??" Shuichi laughed.

"Shu... that's not going to work" Yuki replied, "Your fake laugh needs a little work."

Shuichi frowned, "I knowwwwww..." He annoyingly answered.

"What else has happened, anything funny?" Yuki asked, not realizing that he was scaring Shuichi.

"What do you mean, Yuki?" Shuichi asked, feeling nervous as he recalled the dream.

"Just asking," Yuki thought of a good excuse, "I mean, you could have let another mob chase you or something.."

"YEAHHH!!! How did you know that, Yuki?" Shuichi gasped. 

Yuki paused. Shuichi imagined the sarcastic expression on Yuki's face.

"Hahahaaaa, we've been together that long, huh? Shuichi smiled dreamily.

"Yeah, it seems so..." Yuki answered back, unconsciously smiling as well.

"I miss you already..." Shuichi said softly.

"Hey, don't go mushy on me," Yuki smirked as he replied. Shuichi giggled back

"It's the truth!"

K knocked and walked into the room, "Shu-san, I'm sorry but the Mr. Misaki just called. We have to go." He saw Shuichi's bright face fade into gloom. "You have 15 minutes... I'm so sorry Shu, I'll let you call him up later." K reassured as he saw Shuichi smile a bit.

Yuki heard the interruption, "Mr. Misaki?" he asked.

"Yeah," Shuichi replied sadly, "K says he's the one who wants us to come out for an anti depressant commercial or something..."

"Anti depressant???" Yuki asked.

"Or was it jam??? I forgot, hehe."

"Sounds fun." Yuki replied, it must have been the first time he encouraged Shuichi.

"Yeah, I'm sure it is, but it's not the same without you..."

"I told you, don't go mushy on me!"

Shuichi giggled, "I thought you'd have missed me by now..."

"Yeah... I do... but." Yuki paused.

"Huh? What is it Yuki?" Shuichi noticed the sudden interruption.

"Shuichi..." Yuki thought hard, he decided that despite how ridiculous it may have sounded, it was still better to tell Shuichi at least a bit, "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Huh? Of course, Yuki!" Shuichi noticed the Yuki's serious tone, "What's wrong?"

Yuki paused a bit, thinking hard about the dream he had.

"The dream I told you about... It sounds silly but... watch out for someone in—"

A beep interrupted the conversation.

"Hello?? Hello??" Shuichi said in alarm "Yuki??"

The beep continued, and left Shuichi in a mix of surprise, anger and disappointment.

"Yuki..." Shuichi put his phone in front of him; he stared at it and sadly meditated on Yuki's statement-cut-short...

"A man in... what? What could he have meant?" Shuichi thought, and at the same time, wondered why the call was suddenly broken.

K knocked and opened the door, and noticed the disappointment on Shuichi's face.

"What's the matter? Is Yuki all right?" he asked.

"Yeah..." Shuichi nodded, but remained melancholic.

Shuichi stood and gave his phone to K, who patted him on the back, "Not to worry, Shuichi kun, you'll call him back as soon as we get back. And I'll let you stay up for the whole night, if you want to." He smiled.

Shuichi's face lit up as K added in his rough accent,

"Don't worry, be happy!!!"

* * *

"Hello??? Shuichi? Shuichi!!"

Yuki heard the endless beep, pulled the phone from his ear and stared at it.

Just when he was about to tell Shuichi about the man in his dream...

Yuki placed replaced the phone on the table, and sat back on his chair. He stared at the paragraphs on his computer; he wondered whether the interruption was simply coincidence or a fault in the phone company's system.

He stared at the phone again. He reached it, lifted it from the receiver once more and heard the monotone beep, showing that the line was functional. He replaced it on its cradle.

He shook his head as he put on his glasses and continued to type on his laptop, a melody of tapping filling the room.

* * *

Shuichi stared out of the car's window as the sound of paper filled the car. Shuichi turned to glance at what everyone was doing.

Sakano patted his handkerchief all over his face as he went through a thick compilation of papers. Hiro nodded off to sleep as he sat beside Shuichi. K was silently driving, and occasionally lifting a finger to other drivers; Fujisaki patted K, and often reminded K not to use the magnum.

Shuichi looked stared out of the window once more; he was praying that K would get them to the place...safely... and that they would get to the destination soon.

It was almost autumn, and the chilly weather was evident; Shuichi noticed everyone in their warmer apparel, others often rubbing their hands together as they strolled down the streets. He wondered what Hokkaido would have looked like in the winter, but he hoped he didn't have to stay that long. The snow he would see would be nothing compared to the snow he always had with him.

Shuichi's thought dreamily about Yuki. The car came to a stop at an intersection. Shuichi's attention was caught by two men arguing at the sidewalk. The other one looked laid-back, his hair in a messy-yet-stylish fashion and his clothes complimenting his character even more. He pushed his shades with his index and middle finger as he continued walking... as if no one was pulling him back.

The other held tightly onto the first man's leg. His spiky hair and soft eyes caught Shuichi's attention, not to mention how he could shift into a smaller form. It reminded him of Ryuichi, although seeing the two men together reminded him more of himself and Yuki when they argued.

Shuichi smiled, and decided to wish the two the best of luck, as they continued to drive by.

The car came to a stop. K turned around and smiled widely as he announced in his deep voice, "We're here!!!"

Hiro awakened from his slumber as Shuichi tapped him. Everyone got down and walked casually into the building. K told them to wait for him and Sakano at the lounge as they would go and finally meet Mr. Misaki.

Fujisaki, Hiro and Shuichi sat silently, still hung-over from the road trip. Hiro broke the silence by complimenting how it would have been nice to see Hokkaido in the winter.

"They say it gets very cold over here, and tourists come for the skiing." He added.

Shuichi smiled back, "Maybe I can invite Yuki to come by then."

Fujisaki smiled as well, "Don't worry Shuichi, I'm sure these three weeks will pass you by real fast, as if they didn't even happen."

The three paused as they heard K's voice, Sakano's nervous laughter, and an unfamiliar voice.

They stood as K introduced them one-by-one to a middle-aged-looking man, who looked very serious and strict his receding hairline made him look even older. He made them think whether K would look like that in the future.

"Mr. Hoshi, here is Bad Luck, Shuichi, Hiroshi, and Fujisaki." He smiled as he gestured towards them.

"Pleased to meet you!" Shuichi smiled as he shook the man's hand. Hiro and Fujisaki followed.

"I'm very sorry, I've just been assigned as a replacement." He answered, his thick eyebrows showing his disappointment.

"May I ask what happened to Mr. Misaki?" Sakano asked politely.

"Misaki?" Mr Hoshi looked at them, puzzled.

"Yes, the one who called and proposed about the commercial..." K sounded unsure.

Mr. Hoshi looked at them in question then paused for a while.

"I haven't heard of the name, but... I know I've been assigned as a replacement for Mr. Sakamoto, he's the advertising director. However, he was suddenly called for an important meeting. Don't worry though, he told me all about your arrival."

"Sakamoto?" K asked himself, assuring himself. He knew the man who called had identified himself as Mr. Misaki. He simply shrugged off the thought.

"Well then, shall we proceed to the conference room?" Mr. Hoshi offered.

They all smiled and nodded.

The discussion took almost two hours, and Shuichi found himself tired... even though he was just listening to Mr. Hoshi, K and Sakano talk most of the time. He couldn't help but excuse himself for a bathroom break.

He thought about how the commercial was going to be presented. He imagined it; Spicy Marmalade playing in the background as he, Hiro, and Fujisaki ran wildly through the terrain, searching for something, then at last, they find a voluptuous woman holding the jar of jam and inviting them to have some... He then forgot what Mr. Hoshi said would happen after that.

He splashed some water on his face and dried it with tissue.

Shuichi stretched, and found himself awake again. He looked at his watch and thought how long it would be until he could talk to Yuki. He softly slapped his face, and uttered a few words of encouragement to his reflection, "Just a little more time, Shuichi kun!"

He walked out the restroom, but because of his daydreaming, he accidentally bumped into someone headed to the restroom.

"Oooof!" Shuichi breathed, then looked up at the person he bumped. He smiled and was about to apologize when he found himself frozen in place.

"I'm sorry," The stranger said, smiling softly at him.

"U-uh.. p-pardon me!" Shuichi bowed his head. He realized he had been staring at the stranger.

The two smiled at each other, then went on their way. Shuichi looked back, as he saw the stranger walk into the bathroom.

Shuichi thought for a moment then shook his head. He tried shrugging off the thought, but he knew that he wasn't wrong; a sense of de ja vu overcame him... and tried to think hard where he saw the man before.

Shuichi walked back into the conference room, excusing himself for the interruption, and took his seat.

Hiro looked at him and whispered, "What's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost."

Shuichi shook his head and replied, "It's nothing. I just thought I saw someone familiar..."

Mr. Hoshi continued discussing the schedule, the requirements and the other reminders before the filming of the commercial would start, until a knock on the door interrupted the conversation.

Mr. Hoshi stood from his seat, "That must be him already," He said as he opened the door.

"Oh! Finally you're here!" Mr. Hoshi said in relief, as he let the man into the room. Shuichi stared at the man. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Let me introduce Mr.Miraku, who is going to supervise the whole filming. He is also going to take Mr. Sakamoto's place every once in a while as director."

Mr. Miraku smiled and bowed, "Nice to meet you all, it's a pleasure." His melodic tone echoed.

Hiro nudged Shuichi, "Shuichi, what's wrong? You're all pale... hey, introduce yourself."

Shuichi broke out of his trance, finally realizing that he was the only one who had not introduced himself yet. He thought his brain must have shut off from the moment the man came into the room.

Shuichi stood up, reaching out his hand to shake Mr. Miraku's.

"Hmmm, why so nervous, Mr. Shindou?" Mr. Miraku smiled, "Don't worry, I don't bite..." He smirked.

Shuichi forced a smile. His fear got worse after hearing the last statement. He couldn't take his eyes off the man in white.

"Actually, I think we bumped into each other earlier," Miraku smiled and chuckled as he turned to the others.

Shuichi felt him slowly let go of his hand. It took him a tap from Hiro to realize that he should take his seat, as Mr. Miraku already did.

The discussion continued, and Shuichi was petrified the whole time, though he had no idea why. Was it the coincidence or was it because of Yuki's words...

"What does this have to do with Yuki's warning anyway?" Shuichi thought to himself. His mind was debating against itself, and as the discussion continued, nothing made sense anymore. And all the more did his thoughts go haywire when he'd see Mr. Miraku staring at him.

* * *

Yuki shivered. He felt goosebumps all over. He looked up from his laptop and saw that the airconditioner was only at 20 degrees. Yuki squinted, removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

He stood up, rubbing his arms to ease the tension. He decided that a walk would perhaps help him.

Yuki turned off his laptop, closed it, and noticed the picture frame that was concealed by the laptop's screen. He stared a moment at Shuichi's photo, his face showing concern. He blinked, as if awakened from the day dream and looked at the clock. It was only 4 PM...

He took his pack of cigarettes then walked out, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

Shuichi ran into the room as soon as K opened the door of the apartment. The others watched Shuichi in doubt as he hastily ran into his room.

K glanced at Hiro, and Hiro knew what K meant.

"I'll talk to him..."

Hiro knocked on the door of his and Shuichi's room. Not hearing an answer, he opened the door slowly and found Shuichi buried under the covers.

"Shu? What's going on?" Hiro stood beside the bed.

Shuichi peeked from under the pillows, fear written all over his face. He curled up, as if it was freezing cold, only exposing his face and a bit of his hands, which were clenching the sheets

"What's the matter with you? You've been acting funny since Mr. Miraku came..." Hiro paused then realized the fear on Shuichi's face growing worse when he mentioned the name.

"H-he... I don't kn-know..." Shuichi stuttered.

"Mr. Miraku?" Hiro asked, his face growing stern as he couldn't understand why Shuichi was acting that way. He sat beside Shuichi and lay his hand on Shuichi's back.

"I don't know... it's just... h-he... he scares me... h-his stare... he kept staring at me.." Shuichi shivered.

"Maybe it was just your imagination, Shu?" Hiro tried to comfort Shu.

"No... no... Hiro..." Shuichi shook his head, and paused a moment, "Do you remember yesterday? At the airport?"

"Yeah, I think so... The one about Ryu?"

"Yeah... it was him... I saw him..."

"Mr. Miraku or Ryuichi?" Hiro asked once more.

"M-Miraku.. him!... but after you tapped me on the shoulder... he was gone..." Shuichi shivered even more. "There's something about him Hiro... I don't know..."

"Shuichi..." Hiro paused for a moment. "do you think that Yuki would help you?"

Shuichi looked at Hiro with pleading eyes. It didn't take long for Hiro to reach into his pocket and hand his phone to his weary friend.

Shuichi sat up, still wrapped up in the blanket. He looked at Hiro for a moment, with a look that showed his thanks... but at the same time, asking for a little privacy.

"Okay, I'll go and take a shower first..." Hiro understood Shuichi.

Shuichi trembled as he dialed Yuki's phone number, and heard the endless ringing...

He prayed that Yuki would answer it...

* * *

The phone endlessly rang, echoing throughout Yuki's room. It wasn't long until it was answered. The sound os Yuki's voice deceived Shuichi for a moment.

"This is the home of Eiri... leave a message after the beep"

a high-pitched beep followed, and there was only breathing.. the sound echoed throughout Yuki's room.

A deep breath, and Shuichi spoke softly..

"Hi Yuki, it's Shuichi..." He paused a moment, "I... I-uh... just wanted to say hi... I miss you..."

Another beep ended the message, and Shuichi could hear nothing but the repetition of beeps. He sighed, and ended the call... he felt the heat of his tears as they rolled down his cheek.

"Yuki..." He sighed once more, then lay down and cried himself to sleep.

**Author's little note:** Hi!!! Thank you thank you thank you (bows like Sakano) to those who reviewed the first chapter, I didn't think I'd expect that many reviews at once. So sorry for the first update, I didn't realize how many errors there were!!! (Shrinks in shame) Still thinking out the whole plot... oh my... I hope at least the "name" gave you a hint on who the man in white is, hehe. Don't worry, the other series has been mentioned already, but I'm gonna introduce them officially a little later. :3 Ahahahahaaa! Thankies again to those who reviewed, you really inspire me to continue writing!


	3. Uncertainty

**Chapter 3: Uncertainty**

In the darkness, a silhouette sat comfortably... it held up an inanimate object and caressed it as if it were alive. The silhouette moved closer. The silver streaks of sunlight escaped through the dusty window glass, making the person's identity vaguely recognizable.

He laughed in his low voice, holding the object in his hand, which appeared to be a doll. The doll, still and smiling, gave him comfort. Its beady eyes and red locks made it adorable. It wore a blue dress, which was nothing elegant, but emphasized the color of its hair. He caressed it, then pulled it close to his face and kissed it softly. The silence added the solemnity of this strange activity. He started to speak softly, enticingly to it...

"I've been so lonely for so long. It will not be long until we are reunited. Isn't it right? I can't wait... You can't wait any longer either... You don't admit it, but I can see right through you... I feel the same way... My doll, my inanimate companion, you shall soon come to life, embodying all pleasure... I will have you soon... It won't be long... You shall bring us together..."

He continued talking in his calm tone, promising the doll in his hand; "It won't be long..." he continued caressing it and then lay it upon his chest. His grinned widely, and then everything was still in the silence and darkness...

* * *

Shuichi opened his eyes slowly, blinking a few times, before he recognized the room he was in. He had forgotten that he was not in Yuki's apartment. He slowly sat up and stretched, feeling a slight pain on his back. He must have slept without moving all through the night... 

He searched the bed beside him. He saw no trace of Hiro. The bed was made-up and the guitar lay on top of it. The chimes were all he could hear at the moment.

Shuichi got up, walked to the bathroom and washed himself. The water once more made him recall all that had transpired the night before. He felt the gloom overcoming his emotions. He tried to close his eyes and let the water wash the feeling away, but he could not dismiss the thought... He needed to call Yuki very badly.

Shuichi walked out of his room, fresh and wide-awake, but his face clearly showing the confusion inside him. He expected to find K or Hiro seated on the couch, but they weren't there. Shuichi raised a brow, and decided to check the other rooms.

He knocked each room, and not hearing any response, opened them only to find them empty...

"Where the heck is everyone?" He scratched the back of his head. He felt annoyed at the moment, but a sudden thought hit his head. He smiled widely, and ran to check K's room.

"It must be here somewhere..." Shuichi mumbled to himself as he sorted through K's bags. No doubt, he was looking for his phone. He searched thoroughly, anxious that he would recognize his phone.

A barrel of ammunition and miscellaneous, deadly weapons after, Shuichi gave up the search.

"Of all the things he could forget..." Shuichi moaned in disdain. There was no other choice, there was no phone in the apartment, which was obviously part of K's plan to keep him less distracted about Yuki... but it seemed that the more he was kept away from Yuki, the more he thought of him...

Shuichi decided to watch the television as he waited for their return. Without a phone and without knowing where they went, who knew what he could do if he got into trouble... especially since the mob was at every turn, silently, stealthily awaiting for him... Shuichi shuddered at the thought and rubbed his injured stomach.

Shuichi flipped through the channels, looking at them blankly and finding no interest in any one of them. He almost flipped through the last available channel, until he heard the news caster mention the one word he could not ignore...

"Yuki?!" Shuichi repeated as he thought he heard the news caster mention his lover's name... he frowned upon discovering that it was a weather forecast.

"Snow to come..." Shuichi repeated sadly, thinking of the snow he lived with everyday, and was now helplessly detached from.

A clanging of keys caught Shuichi's attention, and he shifted his gaze towards the door. It swung open, and K smiled widely as he held a brown bag. Hiro followed with two more, Fujisaki carrying plastic bags at each hand and Sakano grunting at the weight of a smaller plastic bag.

Before Shuichi could ask them furiously about leaving him in the apartment, K flashed his wide grin and held out a box of Pocky. Shuichi felt his anger quickly subside, "Their intentions were good anyway, right???" He thought to himself as he nibbled on a stick of strawberry pocky.

"Sorry Shuichi-kun," Sakano apologized wearily as he lay the plastic bag on the table, "We had to run and get a few stuff for our trip later. You do know that we start the filming today, right?" he smiled softly, as he wiped his head with his handkerchief.

"Huh?! Today??" the pocky in Shuichi's mouth broke, "Since when? I mean, when did they tell you??" Shuichi said as he tried to arrange his thoughts. It was so sudden, and to think, he was going to be "watched" by Mr. Miraku...

"Oh!" K stopped his sorting of bullets for a moment, "I guess you went to bed really early last night that you weren't able to hear about it... I'm sorry, Shuichi kun!" K tried to smile.

Shuichi frowned a moment. He couldn't imagine how Mr. Miraku would be watching his every move; he didn't want to think about it. Then again, it was going to happen... and it would be happening for the next 2 weeks...

Hiro noticed the expression on his friend's face. He looked at K, who was currently engrossed at refilling his magnum with new bullets.

"Hey K," He said calmly, "since we're leaving in an hour, why don't you give Shuichi some time to talk to Yuki? I mean, he wasn't able to call him last night, you know... plus, the conversation was cut short."

K paused a moment, magnum in hand. Everyone felt nervous at the seriousness on his face.

He could shoot at any one of them if he wanted.

K smiled, then reached into his pocket and gave Shuichi his cellphone. "It must have slipped my mind. I'm sorry again, Shuichi-kun."

Everyone sighed in relief.

Shuichi reached for his phone, wide-and-teary-eyed. He smiled back, then headed to his room to make the call in private.

Once seated on his bed, Shuichi started to dial. He placed the receiver to his ear, and heard the continuous ringing. His anticipation grew greater at each passing ring...

"Hello?" a stern voice answered.

"Yuki!" Shuichi answered happily.

"Shuichi..." the voice grew soft for a moment, then was stern once again, "how are you?"

"I'm great!" Shuichi answered, forgetting all that had happened yesterday.

"How's the weather over there?" The voice asked with disinterest. Shuichi knew that Yuki didn't care about the weather... But anything that would keep the conversation going was worth answering.

"It is pretty cold! And it makes me think of you even more." Shuichi said in a childish-yet-tender tone.

Shuichi thought he heard a soft giggle...

"I received your message..." Yuki continued, "Was there anything wrong? You sounded awful."

Shuichi paused a moment, and felt unsure whether he should tell Yuki about what had transpired.

"I just missed you... really." Shuichi smiled softly.

Yuki didn't answer, his breathing shallow and calm... it was as if he had heard that line one-too-many times.

"Yuki?" Shuichi asked, after the long pause.

No reply.

"Yuki??" Shuichi's voice grew more alarmed.

Still, silence....

"Hello??? Yuki?? Are you there? Answer me! Please... if this is a trick, it isn't funny at all!!!" But Shuichi knew that Yuki rarely played any tricks on anyone... in fact, he NEVER played tricks on anyone.

A deep voice suddenly overcame the conversation, which paralyzed Shuichi's heart for a second.

"Hello Shindou... kun... Yuki is busy at the moment..." It greeted eerily.

A click, then a monotony of beeps. Shuichi stared at the wall across him, dazed at what just happened. His mind could not understand it at all. His mouth ajar, he pulled the phone from his ear and looked at it, as he expected it to do something more. The beeps continued.

Next thing Shuichi knew, Hiro was walking into the room. His voice drifted into an echo, everything was fading. He felt himself slowly dropping and finally surrendering onto the cushion under him. Hiro ran to him, held him, and shook him... The movements of Hiro's mouth showed that he kept screaming; obviously alarmed... but the darkness blurred the vision, he could see nothing more; all he could hear was the beep... the endless beep. He felt Hiro's shakes.. He felt helpless, like a doll. And soon, he gave up... His mind drifted into the darkness, and he no longer saw nor heard anything...

* * *

"Hello? Shuichi?" Yuki called into the receiver, as silence overcame the other line. 

"Shuichi??" Yuki repeated, the tone of his voice hinting panic. "Shuichi..." a click then a succession of beeps was all Yuki got in reply. He held the receiver from his ear, and was dazed for a moment. A feeling of dejavu silenced him, as he stared at the receiver in his hand.

Finally awakening from the daze, he replaced the phone on its cradle. He rested his head on his hands. He could not dismiss the grave feeling inside him. He knew there was something wrong... but he paid no heed to his heart's demands. His mind would not accept the irrationality of his dreams and the simple cut-off of a phone call. Could it all be just a coincidence? Yes, probably that was it...

"Just coincidence... Shuichi will call back soon..." Yuki wiped his face with a tissue and stared into the laptop, at the unfinished line...It all seemed incoherent, pointless at the moment. He felt restless. His mind was completely lost; he had no idea what to do... And he couldn't understand why.

* * *

Shuichi winced as the bright light stung his eyes. Everything was blurred. He blinked a few more times, and realized that everyone was staring down at him. 

"W-what's going on?" He asked softly.

"That's what we were going to ask you, Shuichi. Are you okay now?" Hiro answered.

"Y-yeah, I think I'm okay now." Shuichi rubbed his eyes and got up slowly. He noticed a jar of smelling salts in Sakano's hand.

"What happened back there?" K asked suddenly, "Weren't you talking with Yuki? Did something happen??"

Shuichi paused a moment, the memory coming back at once... still fresh in his mind.

"It's all so weird... I don't know what happened..." Shuichi shook his head.

"Tell us, Shuichi-kun." Fujisaki pressed.

"I-I..." Shuichi stuttered, "I don't know... one minute I was talking to Yuki then... then suddenly it was quiet..." Shuichi paused a moment, squinting a bit. He continued, "and then this voice... I don't know who it was. It sounded familiar and yet, I didn't recognize it at all... He told me... the voice... I- I forgot..."

Shuichi noticed as everyone's serious expression shifted to surprise.

"What exactly did it say, Shuichi kun? Can you at least try to remember?" Sakano asked once more.

"It said something like... 'Yuki is busy...' something like that..." Shuichi looked up at them, his eyes showing how he hoped that one of them could give him an explanation... something he could believe for the moment.

"Are you sure the voice wasn't familiar? I mean, it could have been Tatsuha..." K tried to ease Shuichi's sadness, although even the idea was not credible even for him.

"I know Tatsuha's voice... but this voice, it was low and full... It would have probably sounded like you, K... but there was something in that voice. It was angry... or at least, it sounded like a threat... I can't describe it! I just know that it sounds familiar yet... I can't..." Shuichi's voice started to trail off.

Hiro patted Shuichi on the back. And reassured him for a moment, "Shuichi... Maybe it was just a fault in the phone company or something..." But everyone knew how they could find no rational explanation for the event. They had no idea how they could reassure Shuichi that it was all a joke... How could they tell him that it was just a dream; that he was just imagining or hearing things? That would be a lie...

K walked to the door, looking back at Shuichi. His stern face grew soft, for the first time, he had shown sympathy... "Shuichi," He called, "You can keep your phone with you... I hope it helps... I know we'll find a solution to all this soon." And K walked out.

Sakano and Fujisaki gave Shuichi a reassuring smile, and encouraging words as well as they left the room to attend to the packing again. Although they wanted to help their lead vocalist, it was no doubt that they had to attend to the present matter...

Hiro sat by Shuichi. He could not find anything to encourage him. Afterall, how could he promise Shuichi that he can solve it? How could he know what exactly happened? In the silence, Hiro simply offered the company...

"Hiro.." Shuichi softly called.

"What is it, Shu?" Hiro looked at him, eager to hear something that would help him.

"Don't you feel... weird... around Mr. Miraku?" Shuichi asked, his tone showing uncertainty.

"Why? What is it Shu?" Hiro was surprised at Shuichi's question.

"I can't explain it Hiro... I just... I don't want to be anywhere near him. He makes my skin crawl.. I don't know why. I feel so guilty... I'm so confused!!!" Shuichi was at the brink of tears.

Hiro could not bear to see his friend cry again, as he noticed Shuichi's tear-stained cheeks the night before, his phone in hand, and clutching the blankets as if his life depended on it. He thought fast, and offered the best words of encouragement he could...

"Shuichi... until this is done... I'll watch over you." He said calmy, reassuringly. Shuichi looked up at Hiro, his eyes questioning him.

"I'll look after you, for Yuki. And besides, you're my friend. No matter what the reason... even if you can't tell me... I'll make sure he doesn't come near you. He'll have to deal with me before he does anything to you... and I'd gladly risk my life for it." Hiro smiled.

Shuichi's eyes twinkled, and he smiled. Out of the surge of emotion, he hugged Hiro with all his might. He couldn't express the joy he felt...

"Hiro... thank you..."

* * *

They arrived at the studio. Shuichi kept an eye out for Mr. Miraku. He was nowhere in sight at the moment. Hiro stood by him, and nudged him. Shuichi looked up at his friend, and saw him wink, he felt secure once more. 

"Mr. Miraku will be arriving later," K said, "for now, let's get Bad Luck ready for the shooting..." He smiled, standing proudly and his hands resting on his hips.

Shuichi shuddered at the sound of the name. But shook his head, forcing the thought to go away...

He walked into the dressing room, and immediately they were attended to by the make-up artists. The bright light made him squint every now and then. The thick make-up made him feel queasy... he was just thankful he didn't look as silly as the time he tried applying make-up on his own.

"Even Yuki disapproved of it..." Shuichi thought.

It didn't take very long. There they were, assembled at the studio, with all the props needed. Hiro asked Shuichi, "Didn't they say that we were going to run or something? Why are we cooped up in here?" Shuichi shrugged his shoulders.

K's voice echoed from the distance, and footsteps were becoming audible. Shuichi gulped, he knew who was coming. He froze as he saw the silver shimmer at the distance.

"It's okay Shuichi..." Hiro assured him once more, his eyes set on the same person.

K stopped in front of them, and right beside him was a widely-grinning Mr. Miraku. Shuichi slowly moved behind Hiro.

"Good morning Bad Luck, it is indeed a pleasure to have you here." Miraku smiled, then shot a glance at Shuichi.

Shuichi felt Hiro's muscles tense. It was obvious Hiro finally understood the feeling.

"Okay, so this is how the filming is going to take place..." Miraku started off, explaining the details. Shuichi tried to listen, but the words only seemed to pass through his ears... by the end of the briefing, he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

"Shuichi.." Hiro whispered, "You okay? I'm sure this guy's got something up his sleeve but..."

"What is it Hiro?" Shuichi looked at him in panic.

"Oh no... you weren't listening." Hiro's eyebrows slanted, "Fujisaki, you and I are going to take different shots... separately..."

"No way..." Shuichi whined. "We'll be in different sets then? Oh no..."

"Don't worry Shuichi, I'll do what I can. Until then, try to remember something... uhm... maybe Ryuichi's self defense tactics or something... you remember any???"

Shuichi nodded slowly, "Yeah, I think so... ehe... I'll go and find myself a plush toy..."

Mr. Miraku walked towards them, smiling as he usually did.

"Are you guys all set? We'll be starting soon." He glanced at Hiro, who had a stern expression on his face. He paid no attention to it, and instead, peered over Hiro's shoulder, to Shuichi who was trying hard to conceal himself.

"It is indeed a pleasure to be doing business with you..." he extended his hand, offering a handshake. He waited for Shuichi to take it.

"A pleasure it is..." Hiro smiled, and shook Miraku's hand. He thought he noticed a momentary frown on Miraku's face. Then, he smiled once more and walked away.

* * *

Shuichi stood on the set. Alone and unsure of what he was supposed to do. Apparently, the second briefing given by K made no sense either. His thoughts were cluttered, and he felt paralyzed just recalling how Hiro was in a separate set. He was interrupted from his thoughts once more, as he heard the door open, and heavy footsteps coming towards him. 

"Okay, Shuichi kun, you remember what you have to do, right? Sakano looked at him.

Shuichi felt at ease... finally, he saw someone familiar.

"Uhm, it's still a little vague, Sakano kun... sorry." Shuichi sheepishly smiled.

Sakano smiled back, then started explaining.

"You see the green background, right?" he asked although not waiting for Shuichi to answer, "you just have to pretend that instead of that, you are surrounded by Sakura trees. Now, wait for the signals, they'll tell you when you're supposed to look up. And then when you do look up, you're supposed to reach for something. Then, that's it."

"All I do is reach for something???" Shuichi tilted his head.

"Yes, but that isn't the end of it, once we finish that, we'll be covering the second part of the commercial. Nothing to it, Shuichi kun! Do your best!" Sakano smiled and clapped his hands, "Oh, and Mr. Miraku may come by to check up on the filming, since I have to supervise Hiro's scene."

Shuichi's smile dissolved as Sakano walked out of the door, and Miraku came in.

"Ready, Shindou kun?" Miraku smiled at him once more.

Shuichi gulped then nodded.

Author's note: HI!! I'm so sorry for the delay. This chapter isn't that long either. Waaah! I have to work on the next one. I'll make sure the next chapter will be longer, hai hai!!! Thanks sooooo much to those who read and left comments for this fic!!! bows continuously thank you thank you thank youuuuu!!!


	4. Lost & Found

**Chapter 4: Lost and Found**

Shuichi could not look at Miraku, despite the smile that Miraku had throughout the whole time, Shuichi only felt more goosebumps. And it seemed that it wasn't only Shuichi who knew the feeling...

"Cut cut!!" Miraku commanded, though his voice still had that calm ring to it.

"Shuichi, it seems that you are a little uptight, is there anything wrong?" He smiled, sounding very concerned of Shuichi's dilemma.

"N-no, nothing... it's just that... uhm... let's have one more take?" Shuichi shook his head as he tried to convince himself what Sakano had told him before the start of the shooting...

"Do your best!" he recalled Sakano's cheer just before Miraku walked in.

"Yosh!" Shuichi closed his eyes then gave out a determined look. He noticed how Miraku's smile grew wider. Holding back the eerie feeling he felt as he saw Miraku again, then he nodded. (okay! / all right!)

"Okay Shuichi-kun," Miraku nodded back and brushed back his hair, "let's take it from the scene where you're walking through the Sakura trees, alright? Wait for my signal, and reach towards that camera." Miraku pointed at the camera suspended just above Shuichi.

Shuichi nodded, "I got it... okay, uhm..."

"And one more thing, Shuichi-kun," Miraku gave out a serious look that made Shuichi gulp, "since it seems that you are having a hard time at that scene.. I suggest that you try to imagine that you're reaching out for something that's very dear to you... Imagine that it is being taken away from you and your life depends on being able to retrieve it. I trust that you can imagine things pretty well, am I right? Alright then, let us start?"

Miraku looked at Shuichi, waiting for him to confirm if he had understood every word of the advice he gave. Shuichi thought for a moment... "Something very dear to me..." and then nodded.

"Alright, Sakura Scene, take 8!" Miraku proclaimed.

A loud click and the spotlights were on. Shuichi blinked for a moment and slowly started to walk around the stage, imagining that he was walking through the park... He tried to concentrate, but flashbacks suddenly filled his mind.

"_Ah, my bad!" Shuichi dropped the paper containing the lyrics of his new song. He ran and suddenly came to a stop as a stranger picked up the piece of paper and read through it..._

"I'll never forget those cold eyes..." Shuichi thought to himself as he continued to act and wait for Miraku's signal.

"_You've got zero talent..." the stranger said bluntly, then tossed the paper. He turned around the walked away, not minding how much damage his words had caused Shuichi..."_

"What were the chances that we would meet like that?" Shuichi continued to think, thoughts filling his head so fast. "What were the chances that we would stay together?"

"_You liar..." Shuichi thought to himself as he saw Yuki standing at the back of the room, amidst the crowd... he said he wouldn't come..._

"Does he even miss me as much as I do?" Shuichi looked up, and it seemed that instead of seeing the cameras and lights, he saw Yuki's face smiling back at him.

"Yuki!" Shuichi gasped, then reach out towards the vision and forgot everything. All he knew was that he saw Yuki again, and he wanted to reach out to him... then the lights slowly faded, and the vision was starting to vanish slowly. Shuichi, wide-eyed, reached out and chased the vision; trying to reach it like a child reaching for the moon... he knew he could reach it, if only it stayed a bit longer...

"YUKIIIIIIIIII!!!" Shuichi screamed as he reached out towards the vision, as the lights shut off and the vision disappeared totally. All darkness... pure silence... Shuichi felt completely blank.

"Bravo!!!" Someone screamed, and Shuichi realized that he was still in the studio. Miraku stood up and applauded, and the crew followed. "Maybe a little off, but I'm sure we can edit that scream part... Your timing was perfect!"

"It was?" Shuichi smiled, surprised that he had still followed Miraku's signal; he thought they would need to have another take. He sighed with relief.

"You have a natural talent for this, Shuichi kun," Miraku smiled and patted Shuichi on the back. Shuichi had not noticed that Miraku actually placed his arm on Shuichi's shoulder while congratulating him at the same time- he was just overwhelmed that they were finally done with the sequence.

"Shuichi!" a familiar voice called from behind.

Shuichi saw Hiro, whose eyebrow was raised. He noticed Hiro glancing at Shuichi's shoulder. Only then did Shuichi realize Miraku's arm-- and the goosebumps acted up again.

"So, how did it go?" Hiro asked Shuichi, his with a slight sound of annoyance, and glancing occasionally at Miraku's arm.

"P-pretty good..." Shuichi nodded.

Miraku slid off his arm. Hiro noticed the sly smile on his face, as if Miraku had just outwitted the smartest man in the world.

"We had to take it about 8 times, but Shuichi definitely had it going when he imagined Yuki..." Miraku said the name as if it had left a bitter taste in his mouth, but tried to conceal it.

"Oh... yeah!" Hiro started to explain, "Yuki and Shuichi... Shuichi can't live without him... yup...And to think Shuichi has only been here for less than a week!" Hiro gave out a laugh, "You ought to hear him when his talking to Yuki on the phone..." Hiro paused a moment as he noticed the momentary sadness on Shuichi's face.

"Oh really..." Miraku grinned. "I hope I get to meet this Yuki of yours someday."

Shuichi gave a respectful smile, but deep inside, he hoped that he wouldn't have to bump into Miraku again after the whole advertisement was over.

"Well then, shall we call it a day?" Miraku closed his eyes as he smiled again.

"Yup, I guess so." Hiro answered for Shuichi, "We might even finish thing whole thing much faster than we had expected." Hiro gave out a smile, shook Miraku's hand and walked out the studio with Shuichi.

The crew started packing up the equipment, as Miraku stood and just stared at the door of the studio... he gave out a sly smile and muttered something only audible for himself...

"On the contrary... we may have to finish a little off schedule..." And with that, he walked towards the crew and continued to direct them.

****

-------------

"You looked like you two were having a great time back there." Hiro said sarcastically without looking at Shuichi.

Shuichi pouted, "I didn't know he was even beside me until you came in!"

"Oh... so you lost track of time... then you must have had a REALLY good time..."

"Hiro!!! You know I can't even look at him!" Shuichi screamed in defense. "I actually screamed out Yuki's name..."

Hiro raised a brow and stared at Shuichi as they continued to walk, "Excuse me???"

Shuichi looked back at Hiro, and suddenly realized how Hiro misunderstood his statement, "NOOOO!!! What the heck are you thinking?!?"

"What!? I didn't say anything! You're the one who's screaming his lover's name while another guy's completely taking advantage of the moment!!!"

Shuichi rubbed his arms, trying to soothe the goosebumps again. "Stop it Hiro! I just over-did the advice he gave me. He told me to imagine, so I did try to imagine something good..."

"Something good??? Imagine?!" Hiro's eyebrows raised again, different thoughts were filing his mind even faster than he could finish his statement.

"Yeah, he told me that I should try and reaching out and imagine that I was reaching out for something good... or at least something that meant something to me..."

There was a moment of silence...

"OHHHHH!!!" Hiro slapped his hand on his forehead, "So that was why you called out Yuki's- - ahhh!!! I get it now... Shuichi!!! Next time try making your sentences more complete..." Hiro's eyebrows met.

"I was!!! Wait a second... WHAT DID YOU THINK---"Shuichi gasped, "HOW COULD YOU!!!"

"Hey, hey, it wasn't my fault..." Hiro sighed, "What's say we just drop this conversation?"

Shuichi nodded wearily...

"Oh, there you are!" K greeted them. What took you so long?

"This studio isn't that small, K kun..." Hiro answered.

"Oh, oh, you're right, Ohohohohoooooo!!! Lucky I found you two. The others are outside, we'd better get back to the hotel. We still have to sort the groceries and discuss the whole commercial..."

"Alright... Shuichi?" Hiro agreed as he looked back at the weary Shuichi.

"okay..." Shuichi nodded.

-------------

****

Yuki removed his glasses for a moment. He rubbed his eyes and gazed across the room. He started to feel the radiation from the monitor, after all, he had been typing for 5 hours already.

Yuki stood up and decided to eat first. He was already at chapter 15 of his latest novel, and he had reviewed his list of ideas on his notepad. But he could not help but feel distracted almost after every paragraph. He tried to dismiss it as writer's block, although he it only seemed that he was only fooling himself.

Yuki walked to the kitchen and noticed the Kumagoro-imitation stuffed toy on the table. No doubt, it was Shuichi's. He smiled. The thought of Shuichi taking self-defense-using-a-stuffed-toy lessons from his idol, Ryuichi seemed funnier every time.

He walked to the fridge and pulled out a can of beer- his other source of inspiration aside from the cigarettes and -yes- Shuichi. Walking back to his empty living room, he decided to sit down a moment and watch TV. He hoped that there was at least one show that would interest him.

Apparently, Yuki didn't find noontime soap operas interesting at all. With an aggravated sigh, he switched off the TV and decided to just blank out until he found the idea that would get him working on his novel again. For a moment, he was starting to get interesting ideas from his brainstorming...

The main character- a news reporter who is also an undercover agent for a secret society- unexpectedly bumps into his old friend and discovers that he had been the source of all the coincidences taking place for the past week. He discovers that it turns out that his friend had actually been his brother, whom he had been separated from at birth, and had now returned to tell him the news. It

turned out that a notorious gang had been after him for the undercover story he had been working on. But as his "friend" was about to reveal to him the true identity of the mafia head he had been investigating about, he is shot from behind by one of the mafia's gangmen. The main character finds out that his brother had been working for them the whole time just to gain information about his brother and to keep him safe...

Yuki rubbed his eyes, "How cliché," he spat, "If I keep this up, even Shuichi would not pick up any of my books... not that he reads any of my novels anyway..." Yuki blinked slowly, and meditated on the reason for his distraction.

"I wonder if the little runt is alright..." He talked to himself, then drifted further into his pensive mood.

Yuki was bothered by the calls, the incident. He had no idea why they were always cut short. He dismissed it as a fault in Shuichi's cellphone... after all, he always had a problem with that cellphone of his. But Yuki felt that there was something wrong, and try as he could, the feeling that something was wrong was stuck in his gut. He knew he had to do something about it... but he felt so helpless at the moment.

Yuki diverted his gaze to the stuffed toy that rested on the table. He stared at it for a moment, then suddenly stood up and headed for his room. He grabbed his coat, the car keys, and with a slam of the door, left the apartment.

-------------

****

The car drove with monster speed, and came to a full stop right in front of the studio where Shuichi worked. Yuki looked up at the building, staring at it as if it held the answer to all the questions in his mind. Turning the engine off, he stepped down from the car and walked casually into the building.

Yuki walked confidently through the hallways, not minding the numerous staff and visitors who eyed at him. And although he seemed like he did not have a single care in the world, he felt his nerves shaking uncontrollably.

"I hope... he has the answer..." Yuki thought to himself as he pinned an unlighted cigarette between his shaky lips and inhaled deeply. It soothed him for a moment.

Yuki walked down the hall, and finally, came to a stop in front of a glass panel. It was no doubt that he knew who was recording his song inside the room. The final beat finally came, and the singer was back to his childish enthusiasm- completely different from the serious person during the recording session. Suddenly, the singer paused and looked straight back at Yuki, and waved.

Yuki raised his hand, trying to feel as calm as he could. The singer hurriedly rushed out of the room to greet him.

"Hey Yuki!!!" He cheered.

"Sakuma..." Yuki answered monotonously.

"What is Eiri-kun doing here? Shuichi san isn't here! Right, Kumagoro?" He motioned his stuffed toy, making it nod in approval.

"I wanted to talk to you... Is it all right?" Yuki said frankly, making Ryuichi look at him in question for a moment.

"Hmmmm..." Ryuichi looked back into the recording studio, where Noriko and Tohma were discussing. They paused and looked at Ryu and waved. "Actually," Ryuichi smiled back at Yuki, "we were supposed to finish the album today, but it seems okay for Tohma san and Noriko chan! Besides, any friend of Shuichi san's is my friend too!" Ryu smiled widely.

Yuki silently sighed in relief then returned to his serious expression, "Thank you..." he said softly, and the two walked out of the room.

-------------

****

"The call was cut??" Ryuichi raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side as he chewed on the sandwich.

"Yes. Does that often happen? I mean, I'm sure Shuichi calls you up too." Yuki answered.

"Actually..." Ryu rested his pointer finger on his lips and looked to the ceiling, "I have tried to call Shuichi but his phone is always busy. And one time I actually got to reach him but he never answered the phone so I left a message... but Shuichi never called me back... come to think of it..." Ryuichi scratched his head with Kumagoro's paw, "Shuichi always answers my messages."

"Really..." Yuki replied as he stared into the far distance.

"But don't worry, Yuki kun, maybe Shuichi san is really busy, that's all. Being worried sick about him is not good for you! Shuichi san wouldn't want that. Right, Kumagoro?" Ryu motioned Kumagoro's hand, making him wave.

"Hmmm... maybe..." Yuki answered respectfully, as he continued to look through the glass of the coffee shop.

"Sakuma..." Yuki suddenly interrupted the awkward silence.

"Mmm?" Ryuichi looked at him with curiosity.

"Do you believe that dreams actually mean something?"

"Mmm??" Ryuichi widened his eyes, then after a brief moment, started to giggle, "Yuki san... it seems Shuichi has been far from you for too long!" He smiled, eyes closed, "But... seriously speaking..." Ryu looked away, paused a moment, and his expression suddenly turned serious. His eyes turned sharp, and the bright smile he wore had been replaced by an emotionless expression. He looked back at Yuki, who was also caught by surprise with the sudden transition.

"Dreams are powerful...to some, they may seem to be nothing more than a break from reality... but looking at them closely, you'd realize that the symbolisms they present are very true to the feelings you keep locked within you... They are the pandora's box of every mind, exposing the thoughts and feelings that reside in the deepest, darkest recesses of their soul. And yes, they definitely mean a lot of things to me..."

Yuki almost dropped the cigarette in his mouth. He felt as if the person in front of him was possessed.

Suddenly, Ryuichi smiled his childish smile and let Kumagoro wave at Yuki again, "And so... dreams should definitely be given a second thought, especially if you remember them clearly, hehe! You never know what they're trying to say... or is it..." Ryu scratched his head, "You never know what they mean... uh... what they mean, you'll never know..." He paused, then smiled widely, "You get the idea, right Yuki san???"

"Y-yeah..." Yuki blinked, deeply inhaled on his cigarette, then let out a long stream of smoke, "Thanks Sakuma..."

"Anytime!" Ryu smiled as he munched on his sandwich again.

-------------

****

Shuichi stared out the window of the car. Again, he felt distressed by what had happened earlier. He wanted to take a shower the moment they got back to the hotel.

K continued to hum to himself, keeping himself unusually happy for the whole trip. Obviously, traffic was a lot lighter than it had been when they were on their way to the studio.

Hiro noticed Shuichi's silence, and nudged him. "Hey, you okay?" He calmly asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay... hehe." Shuichi smiled back at his friend.

"Don't worry about it... I made it on time, didn't I?" Hiro smiled back slyly with his catty smile.

"Yeah... good thing you did... I can't imagine what would have happened if you didn't come to check up on me!" Shuichi shivered and grimaced.

"Maybe he would have placed his arm around your waist without you knowing it... and then maybe..."

"STOPPPP ITTTT!!!!" Shuichi covered his friend's taunting mouth. "I don't want to have nightmares!"

"Hehehe, just kidding, Shuichi! Oh hey, what's say I treat you to some hot chocolate?" He raised an eyebrow and smiled at his friend whose eyes suddenly lit up.

"Only Shuichi??? What about us??" K interrupted as he looked at HIro with the help of the rear view mirror.

"Hahah! Sure, sure, we deserve it!" Hiro smiled widely as everyone cheered.

K slowly parked just in front of the first coffee shop he saw. They all got down, not forgetting to wear their extra-dark shades.

Shuichi was last in line. He kept looking around, just as any tourist would. And he noticed a convenience store right beside the coffee shop... and the whole rack of Pocky- in every different flavor- through the shop's window.

Shuichi squealed in excitement. "Hiro!!!" he tugged at his friend's sleeve, "Could I pleaaaaseeeee buy pocky??? I'll follow you guys... promise!!!" He let out his puppy-dog-eyes bit, and Hiro -though he tried not to- instantly fell for it.

"Sure, sure, I'll order for you. I can't believe how you finished those three packs of Pocky K bought for you today!" Hiro looked at him in disbelief.

"Heheheeee.. I was depressed!" Shuichi chirped, "Well then, I'll se ya guys!!!" Then he skipped to the convenience store right next to the café.

-------------

****

Shuichi drooled at the whole line-up of Pocky, all in different flavors.

"Strawberry, chocolate, orange chocolate, almond..." he mumbled as he looked at each pack and took one of each flavor.

Finally, Shuichi walked up to the counter and placed the basket, surprising the drowsy saleslady with the mountain of Pocky.

"Good m—I mean, Good afternoon, sir!" She greeted as she breathed in deeply then started to run the boxes through the machine at break-neck speed.

Shuichi was amazed at the sight.

"Hey mister," Shuichi felt a tug on his shirt. He looked down and saw a kid- looked like he was around 13 years old- who eyed at him suspiciously.

"You look familiar... are you a movie star??" He asked curiously.

Shuichi shook, looked hastily around to see if there was anyone else there- fortunately, nobody was there but the three of them- and shook his head nervously, "N-no!! where'd you get that idea? He-hehehe—hehe..." He mechanically chuckled, then gulped. "I hope he believes me.. I don't want another beating!" Shuichi thought to himself as he looked at the child.

"Oh... alright... maybe just my imagination." The kid answered then walked out of the store. Shuichi finally exhaled, feeling his pulse going back to normal once more.

"Okay... that'll be..." the saleslady woke Shuichi up and told him the enormous amount he was about to pay. Shuichi simply smiled.

"Anything for the love of Pocky!" he hummed, as he reached for his wallet...

The saleslady watched Shuichi as he patted his pocket, then started to hasten in his search for his wallet.

"Well?" she asked irritably.

"U-uh, one moment please..." Shuichi answered. He went through the pockets again, then finally realized...

"**I'VE BEEN ROBBED!!!!!!!" **

Shuichi held his head in despair, running around in circles and screaming as if it was the end of the world. He looked at the mountain of Pocky he was about to purchase, when suddenly the image of the child earlier came into his mind.

"T-the Kid!!!" He screamed as he turned around to face the door, then looked back desperately at the saleslady.

The saleslady raised a brow and answered, "Lemme guess..." she pointed to her head and looked at Shuichi in a as-a-matter-of-fact-ly manner. "You look like a movie star?"

Shuichi nodded, his wide eyes spilling out buckets of tears.

"That kid... good luck in finding him again, I hear he roams around every shop... and no one even notices!" the saleslady shook her head in disapproval.

Shuichi sulked, then thought that maybe Hiro would lend him that big an amount of money. He shook his head. But then, Shuichi realized something...

"The lyrics!!!" He shouted at the saleslady, who was taken aback and didn't understand what Shuichi was talking about.

"The lyrics are in that wallet!!! OH NOOOOO!!!" Shuichi was talking about the piece of paper that seemed to have led him to that fateful event that he met Yuki... and it definitely meant more to him than a mountain of Pocky!

"Wait here!!!" Shuichi commanded the saleslady- who was still shocked and stumped by what Shuichi was talking about- and dashed out of the shop, and ran down the street.

****

A cloud of dust went by the coffee shop. K looked out the window, blinking at the trail of dust... it seemed all to familiar, although he had no idea where he had seen that before. He shook his head then called Hiro who was standing at the counter to order.

"Hey Hiro, extra marshmallows for me, okay??" He smiled widely as Hiro replied with a thumbs-up.

-------------

Meanwhile, Shuichi was dashing down the street, tracking down the kid who had taken his wallet.

" Movie star! Hmph!!! When I get my hands on that kid.." Shuichi muttered furiously as he gained more speed.

Shuichi was about to turn a corner when he suddenly saw a streak of brown, then amethyst-colored eyes, then a startled face that screamed. But before Shuichi could brake...

**KABLAMMMMM!!!**

"Ow... Ow..." Shuichi winced as he rubbed his head then realized that he had bumped into someone. He saw the sunglasses he was wearing, now shattered on the pavement. He realized how careless he had been, and immediately stood up.

"I'm so sorry!!! So very sorry!!!" He chanted as the brown-haired man patted his cheek.

"I-it's all right... I'm fine..." He stood up then patted his dark-colored clothes. "Are you all right??" He smiled, and unexplainably calmed Shuichi's raging emotion for a minute.

"Y-yeah, nothing serious! Hehe!! I'm so sorry!!!" Shuichi realized that he was still in pursuit of the child, "Hey!!! Uhm, did you happen to see a kid pass this way???" Shuichi gave a few details on how the kid looked like.

"Oh! Hehe, yeah, he went that way," the man pointed down the street, and before he could say anything more, Shuichi flooded him with thank you's and ran in a flash.

"Hehe... funny kid..." The man chuckled as he watched the trail of dust down the street.

"Tsuzuki!!!" a voice called out, and a young boy with blonde hair ran towards him.

"Oh, hey Hisoka!" Tsuzuki smiled, "What's up?"

"What do you mean, 'what's up'?!" He yelled back, "How could you just run like that?! I had no idea where you went!"

"Oops," he smiled sheepishly, "I just thought I felt something, so I decided to follow it..."

Hisoka raised a brow, "Well, did you find anything?" He asked in a irate tone.

"Well... I bumped into someone... and I guess I lost track of it... ehe..." Tsuzuki smiled sheepishly again.

"Great..." Hisoka answered sarcastically as he folded his arms across his chest and looked away. The silence made Tsuzuki nervous for a moment.

"Do you even know how this Shindou Shuichi looks like?" Hisoka replied, gazing right into Tsuzuki's eyes, as if he were commanding him to say everything he possibly could.

"Well... chief told me that he was famous so... I thought..."

"Great... You don't have the slightest idea..." Hisoka was turning red with fury, but looked away and kept the rage bottled up.

"H-hey!!" Tsuzuki raised his hands in defense, "we don't exactly have TV's or Radio's over at Meifu, ya know."

"Whatever, let's just keep searching. Muraki's up to something, even as we speak! I'd hate to think what would happen to that singer..." Hisoka's voice trailed off.

"Hey, hey, Hisoka..." Tsuzuki patted Hisoka and smiled as they started to walk, "Think positive! At least we know that Muraki's using an alias... and it's nothing very creative either..."

"Miraku..." Hisoka sneered then chuckled, and they continued to walk down the road.

-------------

****

Shuichi dragged his feet. He had used up all his stamina, and the kid was still nowhere in sight. He sat down by the sidewalk and rested his head with the palms of his hands.

"Yuki..." Shuichi said softly as he thought of the lyrics that was kept in the "secret compartment" of his wallet. Obviously, the kid would find that compartment in no time. Shuichi felt helpless, as if a part of him had been taken away from him. He was like a child whose toy was confiscated. And to him, those lyrics seemed to be the only connection and reminder of Yuki that he had left, since he barely got to talk to him anymore after the phone incident. Shuichi buried his head, curling up as he sat on the sidewalk, and started to cry- sniffles and silent sobs that he hoped would not catch as much attention.

Shuichi felt a bit of relief in that moment of sobbing; he was finally alone. And although he had just lost something very important to him, he felt a bit of hope within himself. He tried to comfort himself by telling him that the person who gave those lyrics their sentimental value was still waiting for him back at home.

"What's wrong?" Shuichi heard a soft voice ask, and he found himself drawn to look at who it was.

Shuichi looked up at a blonde-haired man with spiky hair. He had gentle, brown eyes that soothed Shuichi's soul. His warm smile comforted Shuichi even without the need for words. Shuichi could only gaze at him with his wide, tear-stricken eyes.

"Oy, Ginji!" Another voice called out, and Shuichi looked toward the source. It was a man with brown hair, a complete opposite of the first man. He looked confident and somewhat arrogant. But what drew Shuichi the most were his sapphire-blue eyes. Shuichi had -for a moment- forgotten why he had been crying.

"What is it Ban chan?" Ginji answered cheerfully. It reminded Shuichi of Ryuichi.

Ban looked at Shuichi, and then at Ginji with a "not-again!" look, then he sighed and replied, "What's the problem?"

"Oh, hehe! That's what I was about to ask!" Ginji then looked back at Shuichi.

It had suddenly dawned on Shuichi that this had not been the first time that he had seen them. He recalled the two people who seemed to be fighting over something on the sidewalk... (recall chapter 2 ;)

"I-I..." Shuichi stuttered, it seemed like a comical coincidence. He wanted to laugh at the irony, it was just too much!

"Hi, I'm Amano Ginji, and that's my friend, Mido Ban..." Ginji smiled as he held out his hand, took Shuichi's hand then carefully pulled him up.

"I'm..." Shuichi paused for a moment, then thought that they didn't look like they would be interested in an autograph, "Shindou...Shuichi..." He paused to see their reaction.

"Oh! Really? That's great!" Ginji smiled.

"Wait a sec!" Mido interrupted then walked towards the two, "You're the singer, right???" He asked with a raised brow.

"Uhm... yes..." Shuichi waited for a violent reaction.

"Oh! What a coincidence!" Mido simply grinned, "If I may ask... what's a singer like you doing moping on the sidewalk?"

Shuichi gulped a moment, "I lost my wallet... I was robbed by a kid."

Mido sympathized with a whistle, "All your money, huh?"

"Yeah... but..." Shuichi bowed his head.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Ginij asked with concern.

"Inside was something that was really important to me... my song lyrics, actually. And now, I've lost it..." he sniffed.

Ginji glanced at Ban. Ban gave him a "please-don't-look-at-me-like-that" look and sighed again.

"We can help you!" Ginji cheered.

"Huh? But that kid must be on a train by now... I dunno... Maybe I should just give up... But thanks for the offer anyway." Shuichi tried to smile.

"Heh... you have no idea who you're talking to, "Mido grinned, and Shuichi looked up at him, wondering what he could possibly mean, "We are the GETBACKERS!!! We can get back anything! Success rate, 99!"

Ginji nodded in approval.

"Getbackers?" Shuichi repeated, as if he couldn't believe the name.

"Yup! We'll get your wallet back... or die!" Ginji smiled.

"Die... uhuh..." Ban hesitated, but then decided to agree with Ginji.

"99 success?!" Shuichi suddenly realized what a big number that was, "You'll help me find my wallet?!?" his eyes lit up.

"Definitely!" Ginji smiled back.

"But..." Mido interrupted.

"But what?"

"I hope you'd consider it a fair bargain if you'd help us find a place to rest or at least give us a meal." Mido smiled.

"Ehe... actually, we spent all our money too, and we can't get back to our friends who left ahead of us..." Ginji smiled shyly.

"I can't believe Heavn took our wallets..." Ban mumbled.

"Hey hey, we're not sure if it was heavn chan.."

"Don't try to defend her, she was the only one who held all our stuff!"

Shuichi watched as the two exchanged opinions, which gave him enough time to decide.

"Sure! I'll help you guys out!" Shuichi smiled.

The two pause in the midst of their argument then stared at Shuichi. Their faces lit up with joy and they extended their hands for a handshake.

"DEAL!!!" They chorused as Shuichi shook their hands.

-------------

****

"I wonder where Shuichi is..." Hiro thought loudly as he held the barely-consumed hot chocolate in his hands, "He wasn't in the convenience store next door."

"Don't worry. He'll be all right... Though I think it would have helped if he brought his phone..." K answered as he held Shuichi's cellphone and took a sip from his mug.

Hiro sighed as the others tried not to worry by taking sips from their hot chocolate, and often glancing at the untouched hot chocolate with extra marshmallows on the table...

**Author's note: **Whew! It's been eons since I've updated! But I hope this chapter has finally cleared things up. :D Yes, Miraku IS Muraki... and the two other series included in this crossover is Yami no Matsuei and Getbackers! Whew, I had no idea how to piece the two together but now, I finally did! Thank goodness. Don't worry, I'll work on the next chap ASAP! This story is really starting to interest me, and your comments are one of the things that I really look forward to! Well then, till this chap for now, and thanks for those who commented and read the last chapters! :D :D :D gives everyone kumagoro cookies


	5. Assurance

**Chapter 5: Assurance **

**Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine… as I said before... Yes, even Miraku doesn't belong to me. Maybe in my dreams… hmmm...**

Yuki cruised down the dimly-lit road. It was the only place he thought of going after the meeting with Ryuichi. He still couldn't forget how his companion had suddenly changed his disposition, as if he had two people within him. The whole event seemed unreal. But he had to admit, he didn't expect something like that to come out of Ryuicihi's mouth. After all, that dream and Shuichi's questionable behavior- not to mention the irritating calls that were suddenly interrupted- may have had a connection… there must have been a reason why Yuki still remembers those dreams as if he had not awakened at all.

Yuki passed the intersection carelessly. He didn't know what way he was headed. He just kept on driving… no matter where the road would lead him. He was starting to consider driving to Hokkaido—if only that were possible. He had so many questions that it seemed that, until he would finally find the answer, he would not be able to sleep in peace.

The heat of the blaze in his dream felt so vivid all of a sudden. The images were starting to play on their own again. He couldn't stop it, and he didn't seem to want to… He saw once more, the tear-stained cheeks of Shuichi, who stood at a distance… He saw the indifference in his eyes, as if they were total strangers once more. And although Yuki never thought it possible at the moment, he started to wonder…

"What if it really happens?"

"Would it even matter to me?" He asked as the beginning of his monologue, "Why did I even stay with Shuichi after all this time. Love? Is that it? Love? What the hell is that anyway? Just a concept… that's all it is… an ideal… no one understands what it is…"

Yuki heard himself say those words, and as odd as it seemed, something within him was protesting. He could almost hear it. But what seemed even peculiar was how the opposing voice was not his own… it was Shuichi's…

Yuki could almost see Shuichi… as if Shuichi was right beside him as he continued to drive without any place in mind. He listened slowly, as the voice passionately told him that he was wrong…

"No! That can't be! If no one understood it, then why does everyone look for it? Why did I look for you? As far as I know, the word LOVE may have different meanings to different people… but don't deny it… the same reason why I search for you… is the same reason why you're searching for me too…"

A screech in the midst of the dead silence. The car came to a halt. Yuki placed his hands at the side of his head, trying to suppress what he felt… the voice was right… he was wrong.

Yuki got out of the car… he was in the middle of a road in the dead of the night. No one else was out there, except for him and Shuichi's voice. He silently contemplated on what had just happened.

"Don't tell me I've been with you that long…" he whispered to himself, and grinned slyly. He waited for the voice… and although he was expecting it to reply out of the silence like magic, it came out more as how he imagined Shuichi to say it… if Shuichi was in front of him at the very moment.

"Yuki, don't be so mean!" the delusion stood before him, red hair burning in the dark, and wide amethyst-colored eyes pleading at him.

"Shuichi…" Yuki answered thoughtfully, and looked sadly into the darkness as it continued to snow that cold, lonely night.

…………………………………………………………………..

The door of the café opened, accompanied by the tinkling of the bell attached above it.

Hiro almost dropped his cup of hot chocolate when he saw who came in.

"SHUICHI!!!" He stormed, completely forgetting where he was. The others were just thankful that they had the café all to themselves.

"Hiro! Wh-what's---"

"Don't you say 'what's wrong' and give me that stupid look!!" Hiro growled and pointed, as Shuichi frowned when he heard the s-word, "it's been 2 hours! Where were you? You had no phone, you weren't where you said you were going to be, the hot chocolate is friggin' cold, and I've been worried si---"

"I got pick-pocketed…" Shuichi interrupted, then had an afterthought, "there's such a word as 'pick-pocketed', right?"

Hiro's angry face suddenly melted into a vague expression of both surprise and question…"What?"

"While I was buying pocky next door, a kid got my wallet and so I couldn't pay the saleslady and so I had to run down the road and chase after the kid but I ended up finding nothing at all and so I decided to just cry a little before I came back and tell you guys, but don't worry, coz now I have the perfect solution to this problem!!!" Shuichi took in a deep breath and exhaled…

"W-what are you talking about??" K stood up and walked towards Shuichi, "Don't tell me you have one your plans that don't really make sense in the first place." K raised his brow.

"Heyyyy…" Shuichi replied irritably, "my plans usually… give good results! Besides, I haven't explained yet!"

"Well, do the explaining when we get back to the hotel, you're in no shape to be running around town chasing some punk kid who got your wallet." K answered sternly.

"B-but what about my cho—" Shuichi whined when K suddenly shot one of his, shut-up-or-I'll-make-you glares… and it worked.

"There, there now," Fujisaki tried to cheer up Shuichi, "I'm sure we can find you a brand new wallet! There must be hundreds of them around here!"

"It's not the wallet I'm concerned with…" Shuichi sniffled.

K and Hiro paused, then looked at each other knowingly…

"Don't tell me you…" Hiro cautiously began.

"My first song lyrics are in that wallet…" Shuichi finished the sentence for him.

"Oh no…" Sakano groaned inwardly.

Of course, knowing Shuichi's unstable emotions when it concerned Yuki, this loss may mean the disaster of the Hokkaido video project. Shuichi can't be emotionally disturbed now! Not now!!! Of all times… did it have to be during their big break? If Shuichi fell into a slump as he usually did when Yuki did something 'mean' to him, it would take a miracle before he would be back on his feet again… and with the situation with Yuki at the moment, that seemed impossible! Then… without the aid of Yuki, and without any possible solution present at the moment…this could only mean that it would be the end for the whole project!

Sakano whirled in panic at the realization, glasses misty and his eyes spilling a river of tears. He continually chorused, "What are we going to do? Why now, WHY NOW?!? How could you do this to us Shuichi?! How could you lose your wallet!? Please tell me you're lying, please please!!! Tohma is going to kill me! I swear he is!!! I can imagine him sharpening his knives right now! He's waiting for me!!! GWAAAAA!!! Shuichi!!! How could you let him kill meeeeee?!?!??!"

"Hey, calm down, you'll wreck the whole place up," a voice interrupted. A man with brown, spiky hair stood before the dazed group…. Except for Shuichi, who immediately introduced this stranger.

"Guys!!! Meet Ban! He's part of this group called the GetBackers—"

"Getbackers?" they chorused in question exactly the same way Shuichi did when he first heard the term.

"Yeah, yeah!" Shuichi smiled and giggled like a high school girl, "Their success rate is 99 and they said they'll help me find my wallet!"

Everyone looked at Shuichi with the usual "uh-huh" expression they gave him whenever he tried to lie.

"And what's the condition…?" K asked bluntly.

"Just food and/or shelter…" Ban smiled widely.

"I see…" K answered bluntly… and "inconspicuously" dragged Shuichi by the collar to the corner of the room. Shuichi yelped all the way.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?" K roared at him with his deep, baritone voice.

"I-I… I just thought that…" Shuichi quivered.

"Don't you know that we barely have enough of a budget to take care for ourselves? How could you decide on something like this without asking us first?" Hiro walked towards the two and had that look in his eyes… that which seemed to merge both disappointment and anger.

"But I was crying and… I-I just wanted… I just needed…" Shuichi tried hard to explain it all, but all the reasons fused and it became impossible for him to mince them and explain them one by one, in a way that he thought they would understand it… and hopefully feel the same way he did. But he was helplessly crippled at the moment. He couldn't even begin…

The two stared at him sternly. Shuichi felt his heart ache. Looking at Hiro made him see the disappointment his best friend had in him. He also knew Hiro as the friend who always seemed to get him out of the trouble Shuichi unexplainably got himself into in the first place… he couldn't even suffice the responsibility— what Hiro expected from him was just to make sure that he was still using his head and yet at the same time, maintaining that need for support from no other from his best friend when it came to the 'tougher' situation… Maybe, Hiro was disappointed this time not because of what Shuichi did, but because he wasn't the first person he spoke to about his problem… and to add more insult to injury, he asked two strangers instead.

Shuichi could barely look into K's eyes either. Looking at K made his skin crawl with imagining the number of possibilities K could 'punish' him. After all, this guy always carried his best friend with him—a magnum. Not to mention that he was in secret service before he came into the music industry—or at least that's what he heard. Who knew what this man was capable of? Who knew the number of ways he could kill him at this very moment… or later in the hotel… Who knew what was on his mind right now?!? Shuichi gulped and shut his eyes, deciding that it was useless even trying to explain it to them.

"I give up…" Hiro broke the tension. "Do what you want to do, Shuichi. I'm not responsible for it any longer."

"W-what?" Shuichi looked up at his best friend.

"Short of saying, you hired them, you pay them."

K smiled wryly, "That's a very good idea, Hiro-kun.." he chuckled deeply.

"B-but!!! My wallet was stolen! How can I possibly—"

"Think about it… it's your problem." Hiro answered, hands folded across his chest and eyes closed… by that body language he was practically saying, "End of story… I'm not listening any more."

"H-hiro???" Shuichi whined, becoming teary-eyed once more, "that's… that's so meeeannn!!!"

"Take it or leave it… you want your wallet, then get it… We're finishing this video, and that's that!"

"But Yuki…"

"And don't start going into a slump again or I'll---" Hiro intended it to be an empty threat, but he paused when he saw the vacant look in Shuichi's eyes. No doubt, the mere mention of the name always got the better of Shuichi… asking him not to think about Yuki would have been like asking him to forget his emotions… that's how bad it was…

A pause, everything seemed to be at a standstill… it seemed that the situation would depend on Shuichi's decision at the moment. And though Hiro would have wanted to help, he knew that it would be reckless to use up the whole budget just to find those lyrics… Sometimes, practicality had to be taken into account more than dreaming.

The bell of the café's door tinkled once more, as light steps came in. Everyone turned to see a blonde man, who smiled brightly. He held his hand up as a greeting.

Shuichi suddenly remembered that there were TWO of them…

"What's going on Ban-chan?" Ginji whispered to the serious-looking man beside him.

"Apparently… our ticket to a place or dinner… that's what…" Ban looked at Ginji, with a hint of worry in his expression.

"oh…" Ginji thought then looked at the red-haired singer he met just a moment ago.

Absolute silence in the room… everyone waited for Shuichi's decision…

"Shuichi? Better decide now…" Hiro said calmly.

Shuichi's thoughts were racing. He was caught in a situation which undoubtedly would give up one for another… give up a lyric sheet for a less complicated finance problem… give up every extra expense he was hoping to make- if he could even afford anything for himself- for the sake of finding a memento… the first was a question of ease and practicality… and the second was a question of hope… the first would give him nothing more than what he needs, but he loses nothing… and the second may return to him something that would keep him sleeping soundly until he was reunited with Yuki, but if it doesn't, he would lose more than just that piece of paper. Then again, was that piece of paper worth it all? All that paper did was receive a bad criticism from Yuki… all it basically did was cross their paths. Why did he want it so badly anyway? Because it reminded him of Yuki? But the real Yuki was at home- or at least, that's what he thought. And until he could speak to him again, it was basically that piece of paper that reminded him of the snow that awaited him at home… (Yuki "snow")

"Will I take the chance? Am I willing to lose? Am I willing to risk it all?... for a piece of paper?" Shuichi's head throbbed rhythmically, as his heart did… which shall he follow- his head or his heart?

"That… paper… is…" Shuichi softly began as everyone awaited for his decision, "it's… just a piece paper…nothing more, I guess…"

Hiro blinked… there must have been something more… Shuichi did continue…

"Just a piece of paper, which got its worth because of what was written on it… Yes, that's what it is… a paper with scribbles on it… those scribbles were actually the words for our first song. The first thing I had written my heart out… Yup, just a piece of paper… Can you see it? How different is it from any other paper? Simple… it had something written on it. And now, I'm making a big decision just for that piece of paper… a piece of junk, probably for others…" Shuichi's head bowed down, his voice was firm and resonant…

"But… it was through that paper… that I found something I never expected to find… had it not been that paper… had it not been those scribbles… had it not been my crappy lyrics…I… I…" Shuichi raised his head and looked at each of them in the eye.

"I would not have met Yuki!!!" That was it… he had decided.

Hiro smirked. That was the Shuichi he knew, "Yup, risking his head for his heart… hehe, never changes…"

"So then, that's your decision, Shuichi-kun?" K asked again.

"Yes… I'm not giving up on that wallet and most especially on those lyrics!" Shuichi looked at the two strangers he had met earlier, "I believe that they can help me, I can feel it… I'm not Hokkaido until I get my wallet back!"

Ban smirked and Ginji smiled and nodded in approval, which encouraged Shuichi even more.

"Okay Shuichi…" Hiro smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder.

Shuichi smiled with determination at Hiro, but he now he was starting to worry where he could possibly give Ban and Ginji a place to stay for the night. Afterall, now it was his responsibility.

………………………………………………….

Yuki shut the door behind him. For some reason, he wasn't as relieved to get back to the apartment as he usually was, despite how tired he felt after the long drive. He went straight to the refrigerator, grabbed a can of beer and headed to his room. The solitude gave him more ideas on what to write for the following chapter of his novel… and he couldn't afford to lose these ideas again.

Yuki sat himself down, and started typing on his laptop. The words just started to flow, he felt better now that he was preoccupied with something—

there was less time to think about Shuichi. But in the middle of his composition, an annoying ring caused him to forget the next words he was about to type. Yuki sighed with exasperation and picked up the phone on his table.

"What?" He growled.

There was silence…

"Hello?"

Yuki could hear a faint sound, it was like the buzz of a television set when there was interference…

"Hello? I've no time for this!" Yuki was about to slam the phone, when he was brought to listen more…

"Yuki Eiri?" A deep voice asked. It made Yuki's heart jump for a moment.

"What do you want?!" Yuki answered back to shake off the fear.

"You."

And at that, a succession of beeps ended the call.

Yuki stared at the screen of his laptop, he was frozen in place. His composition was suddenly added with a myriad of letters, although his hand was holding the phone and the other just resting beside the laptop. Over and over, the same group of letters formed a sentence, "end of time your time comes end nothing nothing can stop bliss freedom time stop none free for time to come come…"

The same group of words, all jumbled, and vaguely making any sense. Yuki could barely gather his thoughts together, he could find no strength to move or understand what was going on. The words kept going on and on, and Yuki could only watch, his mouth ajar, and keep the phone at his ear…

The buzzing sound returned, and Yuki felt his heart beat racing even faster… the sound had returned, although there had already been a succession of beeps… it actually returned to say something…

"Yuki Eiri… I'm coming…" it whispered.

And then Yuki felt the chair tip backwards. He felt the impact of his fall, shaking the very core of his soul. At least now, there was no longer fear, but only darkness… and he heard a deep, mellow laugh, which slowly grew faint, until he could hear no more…

…………………………………………

"It's a good thing we brought these extra futons…" Shuichi said in relief as he laid the futons and fixed them as Hiro leaned against the wall of the room, watching him.

"Shuichi, although I didn't think that K would allow this…" Hiro interrupted.

"Eh?" Shuichi looked up, clapping his hands together to show he was done.

"I still think that this place is a little cramped for the four of us…"

"But, you told me it's my responsibility! I think they'll be fine here!" Shuichi protested, he knew where this was going… and he certainly couldn't afford to rent a hotel room.

"Yes I did, but I think that part of the bargain was that you were supposed to give them a place to sleep… you know, aside from where WE stay???"

"Hiro…" Shuichi forced a smile, "You know I'm broke…"

"Yeah yeah, that's why I'll give you at least a week… if it doesn't work till then, I think it's only smart that you should give up on that piece of paper."

"Hiro!"

"Shuichi, I know you don't need that paper to know that Yuki's waiting for you back home. Do you really need to go through all that trouble for that? You have something better—Yuki himself! All you have to do is pick up the phone."

"I can't… I…" Shuichi trailed off.

Hiro recalled the incident. He realized Shuichi must have been scarred from that experience; who knows when he'd be ready to pick up the phone again.

"Hey!" Ban greeted as he walked into the room, "Not bad. Shuichi, I promise ya, we'll find those lyrics in no time!"

Shuichi nodded and shot a glance at Hiro.

"I'm sure that kid is just around town…" Ginji added as he too walked into the room.

"Anyway…" Hiro interrupted, "it's getting late. We might as well get to bed now." Hiro pulled the towel hanging on his bed, placed it on his shoulder and walked out.

"Agree!" Ginji smiled with his eyes closed and went out to wash up as well. Only Ban and Shuichi didn't bother to leave, they had already gotten ready for bed.

Shuichi sat down on his bed, rolling down the sheets and smoothing them then, covered his feet with the thick cover. He was still sitting up, apparently gazing out the window beside his bed. The moon was a perfect circle; the snow had ceased to fall at the moment, and all Shuichi could see now was the dark-blue sky and the contrasting sphere of white. He gazed up at the moon, his thoughts clashing into one another, piling up, fusing… Shuichi was physically silent, yet his thoughts were in chaos.

"Shuichi-kun…" Ban startled Shuichi as he placed his hand on Shuichi's shoulder.

"Y-yeah??" Shuichi replied as he gazed into the amethyst colored eyes in front of him.

"I just wanted to say thanks… I'm sorry we got you in this mess… we'll help you out as much as we can, alright?"

Shuichi just nodded and continued to gaze into the fox-like eyes which captivated him more than the moon did.

"I'll find a solution first thing in the morning…" Ban smirked then walked to his futon. He pulled down the sheet and lay down, pulling the covers over him.

"Good night Ban chan…" Shuichi smiled, and then laid down, shifting onto his side to face the window and pulling the covers higher for extra warmth. Still, he kept on thinking about all the incidents that happened to him for the past week, and he could not believe how everything was happening. But the thoughts soon brought him to drowsiness, and he heard Hiro and Ginji get into their respective beds… he heard the calm breathing. And knowing that, at least, he wasn't alone that night, he allowed his eyes to finally rest… he soon fell asleep…

"Ban chan…" Ginji whispered to his friend in the futon beside him.

"What?" Ban replied groggily…

"Did you??" He asked with a smile.

"Did I what?" Ban answered with a hint of annoyance. He was tired too…

"My request, remember?"

"Ah, yeah yeah… I did… whatever… Go to sleep…" And at that, Ban dozed off again.

"Thanks…" Ginji finally whispered, then shifted to his side to see Shuichi- who now shifted onto the other side- sleeping. At least now, he could see the smile on Shuichi's face. He slowly shut his eyes, feeling warmth from the thought that Shuichi was going to have a good dream that night.

…………………………………………………….

Yuki groaned. He was awakened by the sound of water. But it was not the sound of a rushing stream, nor the crashing of waves. It was the sound of a faucet, leaking incessantly in the middle of the night, when there is nothing else to accompany the sound but silence.

Slowly, he got up, feeling the cold, stone floor he had been resting on. As soon as he could get his thoughts together, he found himself in a monologue once more…

"Where am I?"

The drips continued, echoing in the silence. Yuki decided to look for the source of the sound. Perhaps, he may find something. But as of the moment, something was driving him to find that source more than the desire to get out of the dark, silent dome he was in—he was feeling an insatiable thirst for water, as if he had not drunk anything for days.

Yuki took awkward steps, checking every step he was about to make. There was no light in that dome, only the sound, and the darkness. And ironically, though it was almost pitch dark, Yuki could still make out a few things… his feet, the ground, and also puddles of water.

The sound was growing stronger, and Yuki was swallowing, as if he could already feel the water dripping into his mouth. He needed to find where the water was coming from, and he didn't even know why he had become so thirsty.

But all of a sudden, Yuki could feel that he wasn't alone. Although he could see through the darkness, and though he could see no one else, he felt his heart palpitate. He was nervous, and he knew that someone was with him in that darkness, in that vague silence. Yuki stopped in his tracks. He didn't want to run, he definitely could not hide. All he could do now was find out if he really was alone.

And there it was… footsteps which broke the silence. The sound of water disappeared. Yuki could only hear his heartbeat at the moment, and he patted his pockets in search of anything which could aid him at the moment. His pockets contained nothing. Yuki froze in his tracks, as the footsteps grew louder and louder, nearer and nearer. The horror of it all was that he was trapped, and that he could only wait.

The footsteps stopped a few paces ahead of him. Yuki blinked and winced, as he could see a figure in the darkness. At least he knew now, it was human.

"Who are you?!" Yuki barked, trying to swallow the heart which got all the way up to his throat.

"Would it matter?" The mellow voice answered, and Yuki knew that it wasn't the first time he heard this voice.

"What do you want from me?"

"You…" it chuckled, "I told you…"

"What?"

"I need you… but then again, I don't need you at all… Isn't it ironic?"

"I…I don't understand… weren't you the voice on the—"

"Yes, the telephone. It is quite amazing how easily that device could be so easily manipulated."

"What's going on here?" Yuki's thoughts were in a haze, he couldn't understand whether this was a dream or reality itself.

"You think you're dreaming aren't you?"

Yuki gave no answer; his head was throbbing with questions, with uncertainty and confusion.

"What can you do when you cannot tell whether a dream is still a dream? Perhaps… cry?" it chuckled again, "When reality is unfair… we wish it was a dream. On the other hand, when dreams become pleasurable, we wish it was reality… Isn't it funny? My, my, I cannot imagine what humans would be able to accomplish with all that dreaming…"

"This isn't making any sense…" Yuki held his head, he was on his knees, and unable to understand anything the figure was trying to say.

"Sense? You do not need to understand it all… I know your brain can barely take in so much information… and to think in an abstract context… It must be torture."

"Why? What do you want from me, what has any of this have to do with me?" Yuki shook his head, refusing to look at the figure.

"It has everything to do with you, Eiri… If that is your real name…"

Yuki opened his eyes in shock, and looked up. He no longer saw the figure, and instead he saw images… His sensei, his childhood… that fateful day he was betrayed… the blood… Yuki could only gaze into the images, disbelieving that any of it were real.

"You are wishing that it never happened, that it was only a dream…" the voice continued, as Yuki still watched the images in horror, "and you find the solitude the only way to compensate for it… You try to find another who could understand you, but… no one does…"

Yuki could feel his eyes burning… The emotions on that tragic day were filling up inside him.

"No one knows the real you…" the voice seductively repeated.

"You're wrong…" Yuki closed his eyes.

"Am I? You have no friends, only people you meet for business. Your family… hah! Don't get me started… People you claim to love? Just a way to fill the void, isn't it? But the very next morning, when you've told them to leave, the feeling's back again… you've only yourself…"

"No… no I don't…"

"If you opt to continue living in a lie, that is your choice. But living in denial would be futile, Eiri… There is only one truth…"

"NO!... you're wrong… Sh…shuichi… he knows me…"

The voice paused a moment.

"Shuichi? Is that so? Perhaps it was he who needed you. But what happens when that need disappears? What is there left of you? Nothing… nothing but yourself… the same person you were with ever since."

The water drops began once more, each drop resounding louder and louder, like drums. And finally, it reached the loudest beat, vibrating even in Yuki's heart, almost causing his eardrums to shatter.

And then darkness disappeared.

Yuki opened his eyes, and was greeted by the myriad of letters on the screen of his laptop, none formed any words. All he saw was a jumble of words done by the impression of his hand upon the keys of his laptop. He immediately sat up, after realizing that his head was resting upon his hands.

Yuki was gasping for breath, as if he had run a mile. He was sweating profusely despite the night being cold. Yuki blinked once more, again and again seeing the same screen in front of him. He looked around, and only saw the light which flowed out of his desk lamp. He was alone once more… and he could only ask one thing, the only thing on his mind at the moment.

"Was it just a dream???"

…………………………………………………

Shuichi was feeling better the next day. So much better that they had less than 10 takes for the next scene. Miraku himself was impressed, and Shuichi had not even felt the least bit scared of him. All he knew at the moment was that he was on the edge of bliss, and he couldn't be any happier.

Ban and Ginji were able to sneak to see how Shuichi was doing, though they had to keep their promise to wait for everyone else outside the studio. They were impressed at Shuichi's performance too—even if they had only watched him this once. And when Shuichi declared his determination to do his best, Ginji could not avoid glancing at Ban, who himself gave a knowing smirk.

As for the others, they couldn't feel any more relieved that Shuichi was finally doing better. That is, except for Hiro. Hiro was not as focused as his best friend. He couldn't help thinking about what Shuichi told him. Sure, he was relieved that Shuichi finally had a good dream of Yuki that night, and that he finally woke up with a smile on his face. But still, it was funny how Shuichi could find such a provocative dream "good". At least, that was one of the things Hiro always thought of as "the many mysteries of life… and Shuichi".

The shooting did well that day, and as Shuichi stepped of the stage, everybody was smiling and clapping in approval. He was feeling so good that he didn't even mind Miraku patting him on the back.

"Shuichi!" A voice shouted, it was Hiro walking into the studio. And again with an eyebrow raised.

"Hiro!" Shuichi replied with a smile, and still not noticing the arm around his shoulder.

"How was it?" Hiro asked, and coughed a bit.

"Oh!!! It was great!! I'm sure this will be another hit! Our fans won't be able to watch it just once!" Shuichi confidently laughed, and by then, Miraku's arm had slid off because of all the arm movements Shuichi was doing with excitement.

"That's great Shuichi!" Hiro smiled, his eyebrow more relaxed now, "let's get going then? It's lunch time already."

"Yaaaayyyy!!!" Shuichi followed Hiro as they headed for the door.

"Wait! Shuichi—" Miraku called out, causing the two to turn back, "I need to talk to you for a moment. I promise, this will not take long…" he added the request with a smile.

Shuichi looked at Hiro for a moment. But because of the dream he had the night before, he could not help but agree to Miraku's request. Hiro just sighed and told him that he would be waiting outside, making sure that he would just be outside the door.

"Just scream if anything happens…" Hiro whispered, making Shuichi blush and pout for a moment.

As soon as the door shut behind Hiro, Shuichi asked Miraku, "What is it?"

"Well… actually. I was just wondering… I mean, you did such a great job today. I just wanted to congratulate you. But really, pardon me… but I'm curious… what made you so energetic all of a sudden?"

"Ah.." Shuichi smiled and blushed as scenes from last nights dream were playing in his mind, "nothing, I just… ehehe…"

"Have you spoken to Eiri? Is that the reason? So that at least I know how to keep your performance in optimum level…" Miraku chuckled jokingly.

"Ah… er… well, you could say that…" Shuichi smiled widely and tilted his head to the side.

"Shuichi…" Miraku looked away for a moment, which took Shuichi in surprise as well.

"E-eh?"

"I heard you needed help…"

"A-ah? Help?" Shuichi was even more surprised. What kind of help was he talking about???

"Your band may be very discreet, but you surely should not underestimate my capabilities." Miraku looked him straight in the eye, then let out a chuckle which made Shuichi capable of breathing again.

"Well… er.." Shuichi had no idea what he should say, after all, this man gave him the shivers by just being near him.

"Here's what I propose…" Miraku said calmly, with an entrepreneurial air, "I can give you $500… minimum. Just for you…"

Shuichi gulped, and listened carefully for what that amount of money would need in exchange.

"But in exchange…" Miraku paused and shifted his glasses, taking a grim look at Shuichi, "You will have to stay with me…"

"Whaaaa-a-a-a…" Shuichi croaked.

"Just for an hour, maximum. Just listen to me, just talk to me. I want to get to know you better. Just think of it as becoming a close friend, except you get money for doing so…" Miraku smiled.

"E-e-e---" Shuichi could not release the air in his lungs. He could not believe what Miraku was asking. $500 for having a conversation for an hour? He was expecting Miraku to ask something more drastic, but this didn't seem bad at all! This must be a dream! But on the other hand… It's Miraku they were talking about here. It would take a miracle for Shuichi to feel comfortable just being 5 feet away from him.

But… he needed that money so badly…

"What do you say, Shuichi? It's a pretty good bargain, if you ask me." Miraku's eyes smiled as well.

Shuichi gulped, feeling his pride going down to his stomach as well. He held out his hand, and felt Miraku's hand clasp his. And they shook hands.

"Deal…" Shuichi blinked, and looked into the eyes of Miraku… it was a start.

"Tomorrow then?" Miraku asked.

"Tomorrow?" Shuichi was surprised that it was so sudden, he was hoping it would be a little later.

"Yes, would that be alright with you? I will treat you to lunch. I know this great restaurant nearby."

"Uhm… but… Hiro—"

"Don't worry, Shuichi," Shuichi thought he saw Miraku's eye glimmer for a moment, "I'll take care of it. Just make sure we meet here tomorrow."

"A-alright…" Shuichi nodded.

"During lunch break, alright? Don't worry Shuichi… I'm sure you'll enjoy every minute of it."

Shuichi gulped and nodded, trying to force a smile, "Uhm… Thank… you…" His voice still shivered a bit, and he took he leave. Miraku was left alone in that studio, still smiling with cunning.

"My dear Shuichi… Don't worry… It won't be long until we…"

Miraku paused as he put his hand into his suit pocket, and pulled out a wallet. He placed it to his nose, and inhaled deeply, savoring every scent he could get from the item. Then, he caressed it, placed it back in his pocket and patted it as if to calm it.

"Yes… it won't be long…" And mischief was embodied in his smile.

Author's Note: Thank you so much to all those who read and reviewed my fic thus far! Very sorry for the prolonged… uhm… update >.>;;… I won't say I was busy, since everybody is.But I do hope that this chapter was A-OK! Heeheeeeeee, I'm finally getting somewhere! YEAH!!!! claps for herself Awright cough cough uhm, I'll start working on the next chapter now so that (hopefully) it won't take that long to update, ehe! T

Thanks again to all those who read and reviewed… you are my INSPIRATION!!!! :D :D :D Things are going to get… busy. smirk


	6. Trade

Disclaimer: If great an anime character could be bought for a box of pocky, I would have lost all my life's-savings just shipping boxes of pocky eons ago… and I wouldn't be writing this disclaimer ;

Chapter 6: Trade

Shuichi took a deep breath as he recalled how he actually agreed to having lunch with Miraku the next day. It was a quiet walk for him and Hiro, which was why Hiro was bothered even more.

"What happened? What did he tell you?" Hiro asked in monotone, not even glancing at Shuichi.

"E-eh.." Shuichi awoke from the daydream, "nothing… he just… said I did a good job."

"Did he touch you while he was congratulating you?"

"Er, I don't think so…"

"I mean, TOUCH you…" Hiro raised an eyebrow and smirked at Shuichi.

"HIROOOO!"

Hiro let out a chuckle. For once he had something to tease Shuichi… it had been a while since he could do that…

"So what did he really tell you, Shuichi?" Hiro asked again, now looking straight into Shuichi's eyes.

"H-huh! I told you, I—"

"You're not a very convincing liar, Shuichi…" Hiro cut him off.

"So how was the take?" K interrupted.

"K-san!" Shuichi greeted in relief… he never thought he would.

"I heard it was O-K!" K smiled widely as he held a thumbs-up.

"You bet! Hahahahahahaaaaaa!" Shuichi suddenly felt better after hearing how well he did.

"What's say I treat you guys to lunch today? You deserve it."

Shuichi's puppy-dog-eyes effect answered for him. Hiro simply nodded.

"But wait, what about those two… uh.. get-whatevers?" K asked.

"Getbackers." Hiro corrected.

"Getbackers, whatever. I didn't see them anywhere in the studio, will they be alright?"

Shuichi paused a moment… "K is CONCERNED? What exactly did this guy have for breakfast today?... they should serve it to him more often," he smiled to himself.

"Well?"

"Uhm, I have no idea either… maybe we'll bump into them later, I dunno." Hiro replied.

"Well then, shall we?" K smiled as they walked back to meet up with the others and set out for lunch.

……………………………………………

"Ban chan… do you think that kid lives nearby?" Ginji asked as the two walked down the snow-covered sidewalk. As soon as they saw Shuichi doing well in his performance, they decided to set out to keep their word about finding the lyrics. But so far…

"Well, the shopkeepers did say that it happened often…" Ban replied pensively.

"I don't get it Banchan… why didn't they even try to look for that kid? I mean, why did they allow him to go around stealing people's wallets and all? It doesn't make sense…"

"I don't really get it either, Ginji…" Ban frowned, frustrated at the puzzle at hand.

"Pardon me!" A voice called from behind, "I need a little help…"

The two turned around to see a man in a black trench coat. His brown hair was in disarray, as if he had been running around for days, and his purple-colored eyes showed fatigue, it was heartless to even ignore this stranger.

"What's the matter?" Ban asked the man who ran up to them, gasping for air.

"Y-you see.. this kid… he…"

"Pick pocket?" Ginji smiled.

"Not exactly… oh! How impolite…I almost forgot, I'm Tsuzuki." He extended his hand, and smiled as he heard the names of the two, although he was still taking in gasps of air.

"So… this kid is?.." Ban reminded.

"Oh yeah… uhm, he's blonde, has green eyes, and has quite an attitude. He's a friend of mine, actually… it's just that… well… when I woke up today, he was gone and…"

"Ohhh…" Ginji nodded.

"Well, wish we could help ya, but we didn't see him. And we're pretty much on a quest ourselves." Ban scratched his head.

"Oh… okay. Thanks anyway. Nice meeting you." Tsuzuki smiled gently, which took away his rugged appearance for a moment, and ran off.

"Nice guy." Ginji smiled.

"Yeah… too bad he couldn't stick around, huh?" Ban teased.

"What do you mean-"

"Let's go and get some more info about that kid." Ban ignored and walked faster, causing Ginji to catch up with him.

……………………………………

Yuki was exceptionally disturbed that day. Even after awakening, the dream —or nightmare, rather— still sent chills up his spine. He took 3 cups of coffee that morning, and the feeling still wouldn't go away. He tried watching television, but every channel showed him items which only made him recall even more. He took a cold shower, but the sound of water reminded him of the thirst he felt as he stumbled through the shadows. He attempted to drink it away with beer, but even that didn't help him—it only gave him an upset stomach.

So there was Yuki, slumped on the living room couch, staring at the ceiling, sulking for half a day. It was already noontime, and he didn't feel the least bit hungry. He was able to recover from the upset stomach, although from time to time he felt spasms which made him want to throw up. He couldn't think of anything else that day but that nightmare and how horrible life had been to him for the past few days. To begin with, he couldn't contact Shuichi (although he hated to admit it, he was pathetically missing Shuichi now…), then freakish things have been happening to the only calls he could make. And now, he is being hunted down by some psychopath who criticizes him for his past! What could possibly happen next?

Yuki groaned, hoping that nothing would happen next. He didn't need any more of this crap. He was sick and tired of it all, and to be honest, he didn't even believe in dreams. And there he was, sulking all because of a nightmare that felt so real that he didn't plan to sleep until Shuichi would come back. It was so ironic, that he felt like laughing it off… if only it wasn't so eerie…and if only it wasn't happening to HIM.

"I must be going nuts…" Yuki mumbled as he continued to stare at the ceiling, "I need to get out…"

But where would Yuki go? In the middle of the day, traffic was so awful that he'd wish he'd never stepped out of his house. On the other hand, he felt too drained to go walking. As for the bars, it would be too early to drink… and besides, he already had his fill of alcohol and caffeine. Maybe there was only one more place to go… somewhere safe…

Yuki reached for the phone, hesitating at first. But as soon as he heard the dial tone, he punched in a set of numbers… then there was a succession of rings.

"Hello?" an irate, female voice answered.

"I'm coming over…" Yuki answered, "now…"

"My, my… don't tell me you broke up with Shuichi…" she teased.

"Shut up! It's none of your business!" Yuki shouted… the idea was preposterous!

"If you're going to be that way, Eiri…" she sounded like she was going to hang up.

"N-no… wait…" Yuki's voice grew gentle, the forcefulness obviously being suppressed, and yet he sounded credibly sincere, "I-I'm sorry Mika…

please… I need… to.."

"What have they done to you?" she cut him off, her voice in a mix of sarcasm and concern in it, "fine, come over."

Yuki replaced the receiver, went to his room to get his coat and keys. He packed his laptop, just in case, and then headed for the door. As he opened the door of his apartment, he turned as if to say goodbye. But seeing no one there, he paused a moment. Then went out, shutting the door behind him.

………………………………………

"Hisoka!" Tsuzuki cried out as he saw his emerald-eyed companion standing on the sidewalk. Hisoka was leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. He was eyeing at something ahead, and was seriously focused.

"Hisoka!" Tsuzuki cried out again, as he finally stopped and gasped for breath beside his friend. He frowned at Hisoka, who took some time before he actually turned his head to notice him. And his expression was not that surprised either.

"What?" Hisoka asked indifferently.

"Where were you!" Tsuzuki scolded, "I was running around the whole town trying to look for you. Why didn't you even wake me up? I mean, I'm no morning person but I'd get up anyway. Besides, I'd be more of a morning person than you'd probably be…"

"I wish I had time to argue Tsuzuki, but…" Hisoka looked straight ahead once more, which brought Tsuzuki to look at whatever his companion was staring at as well…

"What are you looking at?" Tsuzuki asked, forgetting his anger for the moment, and squinting…

"You see the read head?" Hisoka asked, nodding his head as if to point.

"Uh… yeah?" Tsuzuki nodded, seeing the red-haired teenager who was walking into a restaurant, and then disappearing through the restaurant's doors.

"That's our target."

"Shindou Shuichi?" Tsuzuki gasped.

"And to think we bumped into him yesterday." Hisoka scoffed, and glanced at Tsuzuki.

"Hisoka, you're a genius!' Tsuzuki smiled and threw his arms around his comrade, which made Hisoka glow a bright red.

"S-stop it!" He stuttered as he did his best to fend-off Tsuzuki's arms. Tsuzuki chuckled.

"So why did you leave me behind this morning?" Tsuzuki suddenly changed moods.

"W-wha? I can't believe you!" Hisoka said with annoyance, "I had to chase this guy! It's not like I'd just shrug off the sensation… I felt his presence and went after it as soon as I could!"

"Oh… okay…I understand…" Tsuzuki sniffed, pretending he was about to cry.

"Stop being such a crybaby…"

And the two kept watch-and in constant banter- of the restaurant until the red-haired singer would finally come out. After all, they did have to keep an eye on him…

…………………………………….

Shuichi sat down, trying to smile convincingly as he took his seat. Across him sat K. For some reason, the manager had reserved them a table in a more private area of the restaurant. It had Sakano surprised a moment, but upon hearing that it had no additional charge, he happily agreed. So there they were, seated happily and stating their orders to the waiter, who took no time to hesitate and go back to the kitchen.

It was cheerful as always, everyone was chatting about how the commercial had been progressing. But Shuichi often got distracted by what he had promised Muraki the day before. He was supposed to meet him for lunch, and he said that he was going to take care of everything but…

"Where is he?" Shuichi asked himself.

"Who, Shuichi?" Hiro asked him while everyone continued chatting.

"U-uhm… uh…" Shuichi stuttered, "Ban-chan… ehe.. aren't they supposed to be with us for lunch?"

Hiro raised a brow.

"I-I mean… er… uhm… n-never mind…" Shuichi sighed, hoping Hiro would stop looking at him suspiciously.

"So Shuichi-kun, what happened earlier?" Sakano interrupted, smiling cheerfully for once, "I heard your performance was better today than any other for past week, Miraku-kun was very impressed too!"

"Oh, uhm… heheee.." Shuichi smiled awkwardly and noticed Hiro looking at him intently again. He could feel the intensity of his friend's gaze, it wouldn't be long until he was going to ask something…

"Here are your orders, sirs!" The waiter returned and carefully placed the dishes in front of everyone. Coincidentally, he did so in between Hiro and Shuichi too...

"Saved…" Shuichi exhaled.

The dished were sumptuous. And the smell was so appetizing, that you could have eaten just rice and sniffed the air to feel full. No one hesitated to smile, clasp their hands together and cheer, "Itadakimasu!"… well, everyone except Shuichi.

Shuichi took in small pieces of the main course, placed it on his rice, and slowly placed a portion to his mouth. He breathed in before he took a bite, and chewed slowly, while his gaze remained on the bowl of rice he held in his hands. Hiro noticed him, although didn't bother to ask him anything. The others noticed it from time to time, tried to encourage him to eat more, but it seemed that Shuichi only answered them with a smile then returned to his chewing.

K, who sat across Shuichi, could not take his expression any longer, and even more since he didn't know the reason why he was acting that way…

"What's the matter with you, Shuichi?" K demanded, his voice more of annoyed than furious. He slammed his bowl on the table, and if it were not for the thick mat, it would have definitely resounded in the whole restaurant.

He then reached into his pocket, only to grow even more annoyed to remember that he left his magnum in the car- since it was a bother to be questioned by the security guard at the entrance. He breathed in, looked straight at Shuichi who looked scared as a rabbit coming face-to-face with a starving wolf, then began to speak slowly. Everyone could not swallow the food in their mouth.

"I can't see the reason why…" K tried so hard to speak slowly, "why can't you at least, for once, on this trip, at least 'pretend' to be happy. Why do you have to pout every time the stage lights are finally turned off and you're back here with us? Why do you always have to be that way? WHY? Why can't you, for one day, stop thinking about Yuki or about anybody and just be HAPPY, DAMN IT!" K's thoughts were colliding with each other, and instead of expressing his frustrations, he decided to end it with that question.

"K…" Hiro said with concern, he looked at K, trying to tell him through his facial expression to go easy on Shuichi. After all, the whole week had not been a cup of tea for Shuichi either…

"I…" Shuichi stuttered, the bowl in his hand shaking.

It was silent, and the tension was unspeakable. Sakano was confused, his food stuck in his throat and still in need of chewing. Hiro looked at Shuichi, then glanced back at K, trying to calm him down silently. Fujisaki leaned back on his chair, also holding a bowl in his hand, and swallowed hard… it was audible to everyone…

K grunted and shut his eyes. He looked at his bowl, picked it up angrily and handled his chopsticks roughly, "Nevermind… forget I said that…" He began to take in large amounts of food, as if not having time to breathe.

Shuichi directed his gaze at K for a while, looked at the bowl shaking in his hand.

"I'm sorry… I've been so much trouble…" Shuichi choked in between the statement, "maybe it would be better if… if I," Shuichi paused. He placed the bowl on the table, then bowed his head to his friends, "Excuse me…" Shuichi stood up, not even looking at Hiro, and picked up his bag.

"Shuichi?" Hiro protested, "what are you—"

"I'll be back for tomorrow's session, don't worry… I think…I need time… alone…" Shuichi was stammering, and Hiro could feel that his friend was about to cry, but fought against the urge just to show that he was standing for himself for once…

Shuichi put on his bag, and walked out through the entrance, as the waitresses looked at him questioningly. One attempted to cheer her idol, by cheerfully saying, "Please come again!", but Shuichi didn't even notice her, and continued to walked out the restaurant and then down the street…soon disappearing from view.

………………………………………..

"Ban channn... I'm getting…"

"Hungry, I know…" Ban looked at his companion and soon heard his stomach grumble, it was audible enough for Ginji to hear.

"Don't we have any more money from the amount K gave us yesterday?" Ginji wearily asked. It was true, K had given them a considerable amount of money, although they weren't sure if Shuichi knew about it. But it's amazing at how having a magnum pointed at you really convinced you to keep you mouth shut.

"Huh? I thought it was with you?" Ban looked at Ginji, the hunger starting to make him irate.

"Uh… oh… w-wait a sec…" Ginji dug in his pockets, only to pull them inside-out. "Nope…" He grew teary-eyed.

"Grrrr…" Ban grumbled as he kept walking, and staring at the restaurants they were passing by.

"Ban chan… are you…" Ginji transformed himself into his adorable form, leaving Ban even more irritated… it was hard to feel sore at the guy—he was so cute, you'd end up hating yourself being angry at him.

"NO NO NO! I'M JUST HUNGRY SO JUST KEEP WALKING!"

Ginji sniffled, "well… as long as you're not angry at me… fine then…"

Just then, Ginji felt a tug at his shirt. He looked down and saw a child who seemed to be at awe just looking at him.

"Uhm… Hi…" Ginji smiled, and stopped walking for a moment, "are you lost?"

Ban was so occupied with finding a place to eat that he hadn't noticed and kept walking…

"No..." the child answered with a sniffle, "I just thought you looked like my favorite uncle, mister."

"Oh really?" Ginji smiled and then crouched, so that he was talking to the child face-to-face.

"Yeah…" the child smiled back and pulled on his cap, "I guess it was my mistake, hehe… oh well, sorry…" then he ran off.

Ginji, still crouching, watched the child as he ran down the street. "Strange kid," he thought to himself. He suddenly felt a pressure on his shoulder, and looked up, and saw Ban looking at him with annoyance.

"What are you doing?" Ban scolded, "We're trying to find something to eat, aren't we? What are you doing stooping like that?"

Ginji defended himself, "A-ah, this kid was tugging at my shirt and so I stopped and he said that I looked like his uncle and-"

"A kid!" Ban interrupted.

"Yeah… a…" Ginji paused then gasped. The two looked at each other in surprise; eyes and mouth wide open in a mix of frustration and realization.

"Which way did he go?"

Ginji ran in the direction the boy took off, Ban following him. Despite the hunger that haunted them, they still found enough energy to run down the long stretch that they had spent the whole day patrolling on. Soon enough, they saw a small figure in the distance. Ginji immediately recognized the cap.

"There he is!" He screamed, then gained speed.

The child looked at them, then broke into a run, but Ban and Ginji would not allow themselves to be eluded by a child.

Through an alleyway, the boy ran and slid, trying to lose Ban and Ginji through the gates that blocked the way. Then, they passed through yet another terrain that seemed even more undeveloped. But soon enough, the child was out of breath, his speed decreasing just as Ban and Ginji also started to lose their stamina. But the child would not give up, he kept running. They soon came to a dead end in one of the alleyways, and the boy screamed in horror, panting heavily, and looked back at the two men who were also out of breath

"Guilty… as… charged… it…seems…" Ban casually said in between gasps for air.

"Where…are…they?" Ban reached out his hand, his chest moving up and down as he too was out of breath.

"P-please don't hurt me…" The boy whimpered, "I-I didn't mean to…"

"Didn't mean to?" Ban took in a deep breath as his breathing grew steady, "this has been going on for months and you say you 'didn't mean to'?"

"It…it's for my mom… she's sick… and…" the child looked up at Ban, trying to persuade him with pity.

"Your mom?" Ginji repeated, with a hint of doubt.

"She's been sick… terribly sick… the doctors… the medicine… we can't pay for them anymore…" The boy looked at Ginji, his tears starting to stream down his cheeks, "I didn't know what else to do…"

"Pft…" Ban looked away, he started to feel moved with sympathy for the boy, and he wouldn't allow it, "We won't hurt you… We just want something back. It's a wallet you might have stolen the other day… it belongs to a red-haired boy, a bit older than you… and that's all he needs…"

The boy looked at Ban, then at Ginji, who seemed more compassionate, "I…" he recalled quickly, "I don't… have it…"

"What!" they both replied.

"A man bought it from me, he said he would buy it more than how much it really contained," the boy smiled for a moment and let out a chuckle, "and he was right, all that wallet had was loose change and a piece of paper with scribbles on it." The boy grimaced, as if he too had a comment on what he thought about the scribbles he read.

"What? Wait, what man?" Ban came forward, squatted and firmly placed his hands on the boy's shoulders. The boy looked at him with a hint of fear, trying to answer without stuttering.

"I… I don't remember… He was…" he looked away.

"TRY to remember! You have to!" Ban shook him, and Ginji stepped forward, reaching out as if to calm Ban down.

"I-I…" the child stuttered and shut his eyes, trying hard to remember, "He was a businessman, in a white suit. He looked funny… but all I remember was his eye… it was… different. Not normal… Yes, his right eye…"

"Different?" Ban looked at the boy in the eye, wondering what he meant.

"Yes, different. I've never seen it before… that's all I remember… please believe me… please…" The boy looked back at Ban, teary-eyed.

Ban sighed, releasing the child from his grasp, and stood up once more. He looked at Ginji, who also was relieved that Ban had finally calmed down. Ban smirked and nodded to Ginji, "At least, we're finally getting somewhere today." Ginji nodded in approval.

The boy looked at them, and wiped away his tears with his hand. He looked at them curiously, and they took notice of it.

"Are you guys detectives or something?" He asked.

"Not really, but could be…" Ginji smiled, and then looked at Ban, convinced that they should go and find Shuichi soon. But before they left, Ban turned to the boy who was still clueless of what was happening.

"You better stop tricking people like that, kid… it's as good as stealing from your mother, you know."

The kid blushed at Ban's advise, and he retorted, "Sure… if only you could be in my situation! You think it's easy to tell me what's bad or good? You people think that it's easy to face these kinds of situations, that we're weak, and that we don't know any better. But I swear if you people could only feel the same way I did and had gone through what I did, you might realize that your advice was not that helpful after all. You think I enjoy this? Spending each day with uncertainty, with only the thought of my mother dying because the medicine was too expensive? I'd rather do this than lose my mother… I can't lose her now… I just can't…" The child paused as Ban and Ginji looked at him with concern, "I can't live alone… not now… I don't know where to go, what I should do… My father… he was supposed to… he was supposed to be there… but…" And he gave in to his tears, whimpering. He cried quietly, nothing more left to be said.

Ginji stepped forward, placing his hand on the child's shoulder. The boy flung his arms around Ginji, who- though surprised at first- calmly welcomed him. He pushed the boy back gently and looked at him. He smiled, and carefully replied, "I know it's hard to accept these responsibilities. You're very young and yet you're suffering all this just for your mother. I think she's lucky to have a son as caring as you… but…" Ginji paused, looked away and then returned his gaze to the wide-eyed boy, "Do you really think your mother, once she gets well, would be happy to know that she recovered through stolen money—by her own son? Do you really think she would want you to turn to this kind of life just for her sake? I don't think good parents would ever want to sacrifice their children just for themselves, and I do think your mother is good since you treasure her so much."

The boy looked away, and sadly replied, "But how? How do I get that money for her? How can I save her now? I'm too young to work, I don't have enough time to make a business, and I don't think I can make as much money in a day…"

Ginji looked at Ban, who nodded. Ginji smiled and then reached into his vest pocket. He pulled out a small vial containing a purplish liquid, and then pulled out a small, empty vial. He transferred a considerable amount of the liquid into the other vial, then handed it to the boy, who looked at it with curiosity as he accepted it.

"What is it?"

"It's a special medicine. One that cannot be found anywhere," Ginji calmly explained, "Just let your mother breathe in the scent, once a day, and she'll feel better."

The boy looked at Ginji, holding the vial as if he was holding gold in his hands, "This will really help? Are you… please don't tell me you're…" the boy raised his brow.

"No jokes… see for yourself. Besides, if you uh—what's your name?"

The boy bowed his head, embarrassed, "u-uhm… Hoshi…"

"Hoshi," Ginji grinned, "if ever that medicine won't work, you can tell the police that we sold illegal drugs and then tell them the names—"

"O-OI! GINJI!" Ban screamed in protest, "What are you doing! Don't give him ideas!"

Ginji chuckled then continued, "Tell them the names, 'Ginji Amano' and 'Mido Ban', the GETBACKERS. And they'll get us for sure."

Ban groaned as slapped his hand on his forehead.

Hoshi smiled then pointed, "He must be Ban… coz he acts like one…"

"Ha-ha… I won't even ask what THAT'S supposed to mean" Ban replied sarcastically. "Ginji, we better go!"

Ginji scratched his head and bade Hoshi farewell, and went on their way.

"You better leave enough of Himiko's remedy for us, ya know. You might give it to some lonely circus clown next." Ban murmured.

"Ban chan!" Ginji laughed, "It feels good to help, I think you're aware of that!"

And as the two disappeared into the distance, Hoshi was left in that alley, the dead end, looking at the vial in his hand. He held onto it tightly. Smirking, he looked up to the sky, placed the vial in his pocket and ran to see his mother.

……………………………………….….

Outside, Tsuzuki and Hisoka noticed that Shuichi had left the restaurant. Tsuzuki gulped down the last piece of the donut he was eating then looked at Hisoka, his brow raised.

"What happened?" He asked, "Why is he going alone?"

"I don't know, but we should follow him…" Hisoka, serious as always, started to walk.

"Woi, wait for me!" Tsuzuki scurried after his partner.

Shuichi stopped, and sat down by the sidewalk, his hands holding onto his legs as he sat still, obviously preoccupied with something.

"Poor guy, he seems so sad." Tsuzuki sympathized, "I wish we could help him."

"Yeah, sure…" Hisoka shrugged, "as if we could just approach him and say, 'Hi! A madman is after you, and we're here to help.'"

Tsuzuki looked at him with disdain, "You're so cold, Hisoka… so cold…" then proceeded to shiver, his hands clasping his arms tightly.

"Whatever…"

Just then, a car stopped just inches away from Shuichi. Shuichi looked at it. Soon, a man with silvery hair came down, waving at him.

"Tsuzuki!" Hisoka exclaimed in alarm. Seeing that familiar face stirred something within him, something that he neither understood nor liked.

"I know! Muraki! Wait, let's wait… maybe…" Tsuzuki wanted to run across the street, but he knew it wasn't that easy to protect Shuichi.

"We can't make a scene here…" Hisoka agreed.

Shuichi stood up immediately, smiling widely and making amusing gestures. From afar, the two could tell that he was faking his happiness, probably to send Muraki off soon. Muraki walked towards the red-haired boy, who tried so hard to inconspicuously move away. Soon enough, the two were walking back to the car.

"Hisoka! What's going on!" Tsuzuki watched in alarm as Shuichi got into the car. But as he looked at Hisoka, it seemed that even his companion could not understand what had just happened.

"What is he thinking!" Hisoka scorned, not even noticing Tsuzuki.

The car drove off, with the two passengers in it. And all the two could do was watch, completely clueless of what to do at the moment. Hisoka then looked at his brown-haired companion.

"It seems Muraki has planned this out in advance… more than what we thought." Hisoka hated to admit it, but it was obvious.

"Since they know each other, and since it seems that they're friends..." Tsuzuki paused and looked straight into Hisoka's eyes with worry, "…It seems… also… that…"

"We'll be having a bigger problem…" Hisoka sighed as he looked across the road. He paused for a moment, then replied, "we better go to the place they're staying…"

"W-what?" But before Tsuzuki could finish the question, Hisoka began walking again, and he could only catch up.

………………………………….

Shuichi clenched the bottom of his shirt tightly. He looked straight ahead, and sat upright, in perfect posture. He was shaking, but not enough to catch Miraku's attention. Afterall, Miraku was busy driving. He could hear his heart beating, almost as if they were in his ears. He looked at his chest, and the cloth of his shirt seemed to move in accordance to the beating of his heart. It was silent, and he was only inches away from Miraku. They were going somewhere, somewhere only Miraku knew and he had the power to do what he wished… anything he wished… and Shuichi had no idea how to defend himself if ever he found himself in a 'tight' situation.

He still recalled the moment he agreed to ride in the car with him…

"Shuichi-kun," Miraku waved at him, smiling kindly, "it seems I arrived just in time."

"M-miraku-kun!" Shuichi brought himself to stand up, he tried desperately to show that he was okay, but he couldn't help thinking to himself the irony he found himself in again,

"Of all the times, why now?" He asked himself.

"Awww…" Miraku cooed, then smiled as he walked towards Shuichi, "come, we have a meeting, don't we? I promise it'll make you feel better…"

"E-eh? No, really, I'm all right, Miraku-kun!" Shuichi shook his head and rocked his arms back and forth, "I just needed to think, that's all! Hehehe!"

"Really now?" Miraku raised a brow, "well then, too bad, I thought you needed the money too… Well then, I better go… I hope you feel bet—"

"H-Huh? N-no wait, I didn't say that I wasn't going to come! Ehe, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean it that way…" Shuichi laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"Oh! Wonderful!" Miraku smirked, and the reflection of the light on his eyeglasses made Shuichi blink for a moment.

"What was that?" Shuichi thought to himself, he saw something funny about Miraku's eye.

"Heh, must be my hunger…" Shuichi dismissed the thought and realized that he barely had 5 portions of his rice, and was even more convinced to join Miraku for lunch.

Then, they walked to the car, got in, as Miraku reassured Shuichi…

"You're going to enjoy this."

Shuichi heard those words play over and over in his mind. And whenever he tried to look at the man who was beside him, it seemed that Miraku always knew—and smiled at him. But there was just silence… nothing but the sound of the car…

Shuichi took a deep breath, hoping to break the silence by complimenting Miraku's suit or asking him about something. Shuichi opened his mouth, about to ask him if he knew about Yuki Eiri…

The car stopped, and Miraku happily- yet calmly- exclaimed, "We're here!"

Shuichi looked out the window and there it was, the restaurant Miraku had promised. It looked fancy, unlike the other one earlier. He felt his stomach grumble, and he unconsciously soothed it by rubbing it.

"Let's go, Shuichi-kun?" Miraku smiled, and then got out of the car.

"Let's…" Shuichi gulped, as he opened the door and stepped out.

………………………..

Yuki knocked on the door. It wasn't long before his sister opened it. She was dressed-to-kill, as always, and she tossed her hair as she walked in the house, leaving Yuki to shut the door behind him.

She sat down on her posh couch, sitting comfortably and then reaching for the half-filled glass of wine. She acted as if Yuki was not there, and only acknowledged him by handing a cigarette for him. Yuki just stared at her offer, "I have my own, thanks." Mika shrugged then placed a cigarette in her mouth and lit it, inhaling it and releasing a smooth gust of smoke.

"Just get a glass in the kitchen if you want to drink," and she took a sip from her glass of wine.

"Thanks," Yuki answered, and sat himself down across her. He stared at his reflection on the glass table in front of him. And he became aware of how wasted he looked—more than usual. He decided to change his gaze towards his sister.

"Is Tohma here?" Yuki asked.

"No, he's out, and busy…" Apathy in her words.

"I see…"

"Out with it, Eiri-kun…"

Yuki looked at Mika, as if asking her to repeat what she said.

"Either it's a blue moon, or the era of flying pigs… It isn't very often that you come to me when you feel bad, Eiri kun… And, yes, I can tell…" she smiled seductively and took another sip of wine.

Author's note: It's been a loooooong time, I know. And I have to be honest—I was going to delete this story ;. …If it wasn't for my friend who convinced me to keep writing. Sorry guys, I've been in a terrible writing slump for a while … Feel free to tell me if this chapter was in any way dragging or whatever, I'd really appreciate all your comments:D Thanks so much for all those who read and still read my fic! Gives Shuichi-cookies to them all


	7. Circumstances

**Author's Note:** **I don't own Gravitation, Yami no Matseui and Getbackers, I just like toying with the characters, hehehe . (that's why it's a FANfic, right? ;) Anyways, thanks so much for those who reviewed the last chapter, you really "awakened" me from the slump! Finally, I'm decided to finish this fanfic one way or another OoO. Anyways, before I go on to the story, I just want to note that this chapter will be written in a different Point of View, just to make things a little more interesting .**

**Chapter 7: Circumstances**

He looked at me with his icy stare. I never understood why he looked at me that way, but I was sure I didn't like it at all… not one bit. It's ironic, that I'm having lunch with him… For the sake of Yuki…

He led the way into the restaurant. I was expecting it to be a simple diner or an ice cream parlor where we could have a dessert while I would "talk" to him. I don't even know how I got myself to do this in the first place. The restaurant looks huge, and I have a feeling a burger here will cost me more than the hotel's daily rate. Funny, now I'm feeling thankful since I wasn't able to eat much with Hiro and the others earlier. Also, the atmosphere is pretty cozy— wooden seats, expensive-looking utensils, round tables covered with silky cloth, and, my favorite, the crown-shaped folded napkins! I just hope it's enough to keep me stable the whole hour…

We sat down, the waiter hands us our menu's and waits for our orders.

I look up from my menu, only to find Miraku-san staring at me.

I thought my heart would drop to the floor…

"Shuichi-kun," He smiles at me, though he doesn't know that it scares me even more, "what would you like to eat? Just feel free to choose anything, it's all on me."

At the moment, I didn't really care to eat at all, but it was funny how my mouth disagreed with me and answered, "A bowl of ramen and a tall glass of iced tea, please," all on its own.

Miraku-san didn't seem to notice at all, and just proceeded to tell the waiter what he was having, "One cup of coffee please. No sugar."

"WHAT!" I thought, "He said we were having lunch! This feels awful, I'm going to look like some… some…"

The waiter interrupted, "Sir, would you like our special plate of sashimi to go with your order?"

"Yes please." Even my mouth doesn't listen to me…

I watched the waiter nod, excuse himself then walk from our table. If only I could ask him to take a seat with us… I really can't imagine how I am going to spend an hour with Miraku-san without turning to stone…

"So Shuichi kun," I looked at him, as he clasped his hands together, and rested them on the table, "what do you think?" He eased into his chair, his shoulders now more relaxed than earlier. I wish I could have said the same for me.

"E-Eh? Think?" I hear myself croak.

"I mean, about the commercial, about everything. Or better yet… what do you think about us having lunch right now?" He grinned again, his eyeglasses reflecting the light, I blinked from the glare. I thought I saw something again, his right eye… hmm, must be hunger… But at the moment, I had to answer his question or he might decide to cancel the deal… I really need that money…

"I…I think it's nice!" I smiled the best, most credible way I could.

"Really now." His eyes smiled as well, "You're not just doing this just because of the money, are you?"

"U-uh? H-Hehe… that's funny… I'd like to talk to you anyway so uh… I think this is okay anyway…" What the heck am I saying?

Miraku-san looks back at me, he looks serious. He looks at me as if he's trying to read my mind, and it feels as if he actually can. I notice how his mouth turns into a soft curve at the end—it makes him look even more sinister… I can hear my heartbeat, it's racing. I don't know what to say anymore. I don't want to be here anymore. I don't care how hard I have to work for that money anymore! …Maybe I can try dancing in the street so people will give me alms or something… anything but this!

"Is that so?" He pauses, then smiles again, "Very well then, if you don't mind, I'd like to bring up certain topics. Is that fine with you, Shuichi-kun? Or perhaps you have anything in mind you would like to talk about- anything to keep us from having a moment of awkward silence, if you know what I mean." He chuckled.

"Oh no, go on ahead!" As if I'd even want to bring up anything…

"Shuichi-kun, I never thought I would be able to have this opportunity to speak with one of the most prominent people in the music industry! It simply is," he paused and took a deep breath—or rather, sighed, "amazing…"

"That's…nice" I smiled, or at least I think I did.

"But more importantly, I think it both vital and beneficial that we have a connection, a relation which transcends petty business and financial matters. Perhaps other people would think that their relationships should end the moment they no longer needs each other's assistance, but I think otherwise, Shuichi-kun. I think we should get to know each other better, besides, we may perform even better in our work when we do… don't you agree?" He smiled, and looked at me, waiting for my answer.

"Makes sense," I thought, though I couldn't say anything. I answered with a nod once more.

"Although… I hope you don't think anything peculiar of what I'm about to say but… The first time I saw you Shuichi, I knew I wanted to talk to you… there was a special reason. And that is particularly because when I first saw you…" He paused a moment… you have no idea how many things connected all at once… Shuichi-kun when I first saw you…"

"I couldn't take my eyes off you," I thought and shuddered inside, "I couldn't stop thinking about you… I wanted to make you mine… I wanted you so badly… Please Miraku-san, finish the sentence…"

"I saw potential within you."

I finally exhaled in relief… But then again, what did he mean?

"Potential?" I asked.

"Yes, potential. I wanted to talk to someone about matters outside the world of business affairs. I mean, you have a world outside work, don't you?"

I nodded.

"In the same way, I thought it would be not only an intellectual improvement for us both, but also a pleasure. That is to say, that we will learn more about what actually matters at the moment, things which cannot be replaced by money alone. And the moment I saw you, I thought I saw an individual who would possibly listen to me, if I was given the chance."

Again, he made sense… Maybe I misjudged him... but then again…

"A pleasure?" the word disturbed me for some reason.

"Ah, yes," he chuckled deeply. He must have understood the expression on my face, "Nothing malicious, Shuichi kun. I know about your affair with Eiri-kun, and I doubt that I would like to have anything to do with anything which would contribute to any problems between you too…" He winked.

I felt my cheeks burn, I shook my head.

"Anyway, going back, perhaps I was assuming too much. I need to know what you think too, Shuichi. I wanted to talk to you not for the sake of having a listener for my extensive speeches; I want to have a conversation. I want to know what you really think… A conversation can only be healthy if both people take sufficient turns; it is not monopoly, but mutualism… that seems fair, doesn't it?" He rested the tip of his nose on his clasped hands. He looked as if he was praying… praying for my approval, maybe.

"Y-yeah, I guess so, hehehe!" I couldn't help but scratch the back of my head. These things he brought up were heavy, although they did make sense. He was so good at explaining these things that it almost reminded me of something…

He smiled, and nodded softly. I must have gotten used to his smile by now, but this once, he seemed different… I don't know why. In that split second, he looked at me, and suddenly I saw Yuki before me. I held my breath, my heart paused in its beating- time completely lost its relevance.

"Shuichi-kun?"

I blinked. A couple of times… I shook my head and looked at the man before me again.

It was Miraku kun.

"Are you alright, Shuichi kun?" he looked at me with concern, his voice almost melodious in his question. I don't know why these delusions keep bothering me. First his eye and now this? I really need to talk to Yuki… I need to! Even for just a minute… Or I might just go crazy…

"Mhmmm…" I nodded, forced a smile. I didn't want to destroy his appetite for conversation… like I said, I needed the money.

"Your orders, sir" The waiter politely said as he carried our dishes. He set them in front of me. I forgot I was the only one eating. Muraki smiled again, now his smile seemed to say something else, it was more like, "Go ahead, fill yourself…" unlike the smile earlier which said, "I'm glad you agree…" Now that I think about it, it's amazing how one man could have only one smile and yet make each smile vary in its meaning. And even without saying anything, I'd understand what he wants to say. I wonder if I could do that too…?

I must write a song about it…

"Well then, shall we eat, Shuichi kun?" He asked me, although he was only having a cup of coffee. I was a little embarrassed at first, but like I said earlier, my mouth rarely agrees with me…

…………………………………………

"I don't want to talk about it." I replied. Clearly, my sister didn't believe me at all. I hate her for that… she knows when I'm lying.

"Eiri kun, you know better than that…" She smiled, taunting me. Ever since we were small, she was always capable of toying with me. I hated her even more for that, but right now, I need all the help available.

"Where's Tohma?" I evaded. I needed to talk to him, I needed to know if Shuichi was keeping in touch with him. And if ever he did, I might have to go over to Hokkaido and demand an explanation.

"He's at work, like everybody else. And, by the way… that excludes us." She smirked and took another sip from her glass.

It hurt, those words hurt… but it didn't last long. I wish I could refute, but she was right. I'm supposed to be finishing the last part of my novel and yet… and yet… Shuichi…

"You need the inspiration?" She asked out of the blue.

"No." I strongly replied, "I just needed a place to type my novel… a place where I know there's another living, breathing creature in it."

"That's new, Eiri kun," she smirked, "I thought you needed peace and quiet."

"I said I needed a living creature, not noise…"

"Very well then. Just trying to be a good sister. But if you really want to clam up, then that's not my problem." She sighed, the sarcasm in her words were lethal.

"I'm not clamming up." I picked up the laptop bag at my side, and stood up.

"Whatever you say… by the way, I read that not being able to express or release your emotions is detrimental to your health… and it seems I'm seeing the first side effects already taking place on you, Eiri kun."

"I haven't slept, that's all. It's got nothing to do with your stupid readings…" I left for a vacant room.

I settled for a well-furnished room. I think it was Tohma's study room. Books were everywhere, and one shelf caught my eye—it was lined up with nothing but my novels. I made sure I had my back turned to it. I placed my laptop on the vacant table, and sat down. There were a few papers, a few notes, nothing interesting. A picture frame of Mika and I. I looked at it for a moment. I saw myself, and at the same time, my own reflection. Mika was right, I didn't look like I used to. I had forgotten to shave, my chin now a little rough. My hair was a mess, although still manageable—I just didn't care about fixing it. My eyes were weary, dark shades seemed to support it. I couldn't believe the contrast, and I didn't want to. I slammed the frame down, and that was the end of that.

I opened the program, and my file. I wonder how much progress had taken place. I'm beating a deadline and now I'm the one who's suffering from a- what did Shuichi call it?—

SLUMP…

I read through the file. I made it to fifty pages at least. But it seemed so bland. It was a typical romance novel. I wonder if Shuichi even bothered to read any of my books. But in another aspect, I'm relieved that he didn't—or else he'd forget about reading this one. It was terrible, I tell you. Terrible. And yet my editor already went through it and said that

"it is the best work you've done so far! A Masterpiece!"

I could still hear her annoying high-pitched voice.

I wonder what they see in this anyway. I'm convinced… if I would have to sell my own books, I might end up discouraging them to buy.

….

Why am I so pessimistic?

I closed my eyes, resting my face on my hands. I was shaking. I couldn't understand why things were turning out this way. I was haunted by my dreams, to the point that sleeping was not an option anymore. Even a nap… but I couldn't… I couldn't deprive myself of sleep. Somehow my body rejects the idea that I should stop sleeping so I wouldn't miss Shuichi too much. Not even my body listens to me.

In the middle of my contemplation, I hear the door creak. I raise my head to see it slowly open, Mika comes in. She still held her glass of wine in her right hand.

"What?" I look at her.

"Eiri kun…" she softly answers, and for the first time, she looks at me with pity, with kindness. I never thought I'd see the day.

She lays the glass on the table, and walks towards me. She pauses a moment, standing in front of me. She seems cautious, unsure of what she's to do. Even I don't know what she's thinking. Since childhood, we haven't talked as much. She would tell me what I should and should not do, but besides that, we were on our own. Maybe she cared for me at times, but how was I to know? She never told me anything but what I should do.

Now, here she is, standing like a deity sent to ease me of my suffering. Where was she all the time? Could she tell me? And even if she told me, she was too late…

And, out of the spontaneity of it, she extends her arms, and wraps me in them. I gasp, I don't know what's happening… I'm confused…

I feel the warmth, and unconsciously, my body seems to return the gesture. My cheek against her chest, my head cradled in her arm, as the other grasps my back. Her head rests on mine. I could feel her heartbeat, and it beats with mine. I'm shocked, surprised, appaledl. I want to reject her, push her away as far as I could, and curse at her. I want to tell her to leave me alone, to stop pretending to look out for me. I want to scream at her, get up and get out of this God-forsaken house. I want to lie… I want to lie to myself, and be alone again.

But… the warmth got the better of me. For a moment, I thought we shared the same pain. I felt as if we thought the same way the whole while. Were women always capable of this? Hiding their emotions so well? I could hear her, sniffling, trying to conceal her emotions. She was trying to pretend like she wasn't crying. She was trying to lie to me, trying to act strong when she had already given up. How long had she been lying to herself as well?

She slowly releases me, and the warmth fades, but I'm intoxicated. I feel as if she filled my heart with wine, and though I've let go, the warmth was still there. She looks at me, her eyes puffy. She wiped away the tears, but I could still see its path on her cheeks. She smiles, a smile full ofsincerity. It was a smile of happiness, of freedom, of relief… a smile I never saw. She placed her hand on my cheek, running her thumb carefully…

And it was only then that I realized I was crying too.

"I never wanted you to suffer like I did… but I guess I was wrong." She started, her voice a little hoarse. I listened…

"I didn't want you to be a prisoner of your emotions, to go astray from your reason. But now, now I see… even reason itself can't make you happy."

I took a deep breath. The whole while I knew why she married Tohma, although now she proved I was right.

"I… I know you and Shuichi…" she paused, she was being cautious in her words. I permitted her to mention the name, "I know you really care for him… maybe it's more than I'll ever understand. But… please think of what you're getting yourself into. Yuki, I can't bear seeing you like this. You've been unstable as far as I can remember, and each time I could only do so much to help… And now, now that you're with him, you've been a prisoner. You've turned out worse than before. I know you don't want to believe me but… This relationship is fruitless. Nothing is going to happen, nothing productive… and in the end, when it's too late, you may realize that it wasn't love at all. Yuki, I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want you to pretend anymore… Please don't be too careless… I wish I could have told you this long before but you always pushed me away, and I never had the heart to say what I thought was right…"

My mind was going in circles. There she was, trying to comfort me, and yet she tells me to leave Shuichi. What is this! Whose side was she on? She was wrong, she should have never even mentioned it. Fruitless? How does she know? As far as I can remember, Shuichi and I shared the best moments I could have only imagines. And he was the only person who bothered to tell me when I was wrong… he was the only one who went after me even after numerous times that I tried to leave him. He was the only one who didn't see Yuki Eiri, the writer, nor the killer… he saw the real me. Isn't there anything substantial to that? Doesn't that mean anything?

I look at her with disbelief. I could tell she was pouring her heart out. Why would she go to this extent just to convince me?

"I know it's hard… I know it seems impossible, but you'll see that after that, you won't be suffering this much anymore."

I couldn't hold it in…

"And who are you to tell me that? What are you, some sort of fortune-teller! My life is my life, and I'm sorry if your life turned out shitty because of your 'reason'… but that's your life and it has nothing to do with mine. And where were you all this time? Can you tell me that, huh? All the time I've been alone, disowned by you and father… by everyone! Where were you when…" I paused, she shouldn't know my past, what I did to sensei, "Do you think this is going to help me? Do you think your crying can make up for all those lost years! I'll live the way I want to, and that's going to be with Shuichi!"

She looked at me, wide-eyed. She frowned. She was trying hard not to cry, I could see. She let me go, and stood beside me. She turned her back, folding her arms across her chest. She was shivering.

I was also shocked at what I said, I'll admit. I thought for a moment that Shuichi took over my body…my defense was based on a completely illogical reason… completely illogical…

"For a moment…" she started, her voice shaky, "just for a moment I thought you understood me. I guess you're still as immature as you've always been."

And with that, she picked up her glass and stomped out of the room. She didn't bother me for the rest of the day…

……………………………………………..

"Can you sense it, Hisoka?" I asked my blonde-haired friend. Until now, we were still on the trail of Shindou-san.

"Very faintly, but yes… They must have gone to a classy restaurant, knowing Muraki…" he concentrated his gaze on the street, as if he was looking at an invisible trail of breadcrumbs.

I still couldn't believe how we ran into him just a few days ago. I swear, if I was on this case alone, I may have not found Shindou san sooner… Being with Hisoka is fun, though I admit that he's too serious. And to think he looks younger than me…

"Over there." He pauses, and looks straight ahead. I turn to see.

"That restaurant?" I see the medium-sized building. It looks like a place where only the really rich people go to spend their money on food… Then again, this was Muraki.

"Definitely." His emerald-eyes gazed back at me. He rarely did that.

"What now?" I had no idea how we would introduce ourselves… Sure, we found Shindou san, but how do we explain the fact that he's working with a psycho maniac who's into young guys?

"We wait…" he answers. I've gotten used to his frankness somehow.

"Until when do we have to do this, Hisoka san?" I complain, "until when?"

"Until it's time…" He looks annoyed; I think I'll just keep quiet…

So we sit on the bench on the sidewalk. It's snowing. It's really cold now. I never imagined I would be here, on the trail of Muraki again. I hope I never had to see him again, after all the things he's done to me and Hisoka. He deserves to…

"Crackers?" Hisoka offers a packet to me. I'm surprised, he's rarely this thoughtful.

"Thanks!" My stomach was grumbling since an hour ago…

……………………………

Oka-san… finally, I won't have to steal anymore.

I still can't believe how I bumped into those two guys earlier. They scared me a bit, but Ginji was really nice. I wish Ban chan could be nicer. But then again, right now, all that matters is this medicine I hold.

I'm almost home, almost there. I can't wait till you try this medicine. Although I'm a little skeptical about this, it's still better than the guilt I suffer everyday. I hope they didn't trick me, but then, they assured me I could tell the police…

The streets are filled with slush and snow. Each step I take makes my feet even colder. But at this moment, nothing seems to matter, nothing but you, mother.

I wonder how this winter might have turned out if you weren't sick…

Maybe you would be making her winter feast. Maybe you would be decorating the house with the paper-snowflakes you cut out, and I'd be helping you hang them on our doors. Maybe you would be asking me to sort out my toys and other things for the other kids who are less fortunate. I never thought we were rich, I never owned much, but you always made me feel like a millionaire. Nothing mattered much, nothing seemed wrong though dad left. Until now, he still leaves that scar, and sometimes it hurts when I think about him. How could he abandon us like that? How could he?

But you were strong, mom… you never cried… although I heard it at night. But when I woke up, you would be smiling again, and greeting me a good day, and it definitely would be a good the whole day.

Maybe that was why you got sick… you kept it all inside, just so I wouldn't know. But I knew, mom, I knew. And it hurt me to hear it when you thought I wasn't listening. We should have cried together, maybe that would have helped. Now, I'm facing this nightmare… the thought that you're going to leave me too. You know I can't make it alone, the scar still hurts, mom… I still need you…

I see it, our house! I'm coming, I'm running…

This is it, my house, our home. The door is dull without the paper snowflakes you put every winter. It's not as bright as it used to be…

I place my hand on the knob, and step in…

It's cold even inside. And there she is, lying down on the bed. She's asleep, as she's always been.

I kneel down beside her, place my hand on her forehead. She's still cold to the touch. I quickly make it to the kitchen to get a hot towel, and place the warm cloth on her forehead. I hope she knows that I'm now here.

Now, for the medicine…

I reach for it in my pocket. The vial feels like a huge diamond. I pull the cover, and place the container right under her nostrils, to make sure that she smells it. The scent is strong, I can smell it too. It smells like roses and all the other heavenly-scented flowers put together. I'm dizzy, but at the same time, rejuvenated by the scent.

My mom takes in a deep breath. Is this for real! I can feel my smile reach up to my ears! This is the first time I've seen her breathe deeply since she got sick… it's been nothing but shallow breaths.

I hear footsteps. I quickly replace the vial's cover, and tuck it in my pocket.

"Good afternoon!" Someone greets, as the knock echoes. It's him again.

I get up to open the door.

"Good afternoon…" I reply. Although this man helped me keep mom safe, he was still the reason why I turned to stealing. And until today, I've never actually hated him for it.

"How's your mother doing? Any progress?" he asks, and walks in. He removes the white gloves on his hands.

"Yes, doctor. She's been breathing…"

He chuckles and pats me on my head, "You're a very funny child… You're mother must be delighted to have you…"

I smile courteously.

"Hoshi, I appreciate that you really take this much responsibility. Any child your age might have just given up and resorted to crying. I commend you for that." He smiles at me, his silvery-white hair slightly tossed to the side… I always wondered why he covered his right eye.

"Thank you doctor…" I respond, as he starts examining my mom.

He places the stethoscope on her chest. His eyebrows crease. I'm getting nervous for some reason. He fidgets a bit, though tries to conceal it. He continues to replace the stethoscope on my mother's chest, as if he couldn't hear her heartbeat. I really am getting nervous…

"What's the matter?" I stutter.

He looks up at me, wide-eyed. It's the first time I saw him react like that. But he immediately smiles again.

"Have you given your mother anything, Hoshi? Anything aside from the medicine I prescribed?"

I pause. I don't know what to say… should I tell him?

"Is there anything wrong, doctor? I followed your prescription, I swear!"

"Alright," he sighs, "but keep in mind that if you keep anything from me, the consequence of your action will follow. If you lie to me, your mother will be the one to receive the penalty…"

My heart is beating faster. I don't know what to do. But I feel that I really can't tell him… he's looking at me sharply, and it's scaring me. He's never looked at me this way before. In fact, he always smiled at me.

"N-no, I swear I didn't do anything but what you told me!" I defended; I prayed he would believe me.

He gazed at me, sternly looking at me the way my dad would when I tried to lie my way out of punishment. I didn't like it at all. But then he soon removed his stethoscope, replacing them into his bag.

"Alright then. It was nice to have done business with you, Hoshi." He smiles again, although it was completely fake.

"What?" I can't believe him, "W-what about my mother? Aren't you going to give me any more medicine?"

"You seem fine on your own… besides, she's alright now. Perhaps she'll wake up in a day or two… or at least I hope so… Good luck to you both." He picks up his bag and walks to the door.

"She's… okay? What is it really? " I can't believe it… she's finally coming back?

"Yes, it's good you followed my orders obediently," he opened the door, and I run to see him off.

"Doctor…" I don't know what I should say… Thank you for making me a thief or thanks for the time you spent…?

He doesn't look back, although he still smiles. It's now I noticed that his white cloak was still clean. I could never do that, my socks alone always got dirty with the slush. He seemed to glow as he walked away, but the aura he left behind was far from pleasant. Now I felt completely free, I no longer had to work for Muraki-sama. I didn't have to steal anymore… All I needed was this miracle medicine…

…miracle medicine… I reached for it in my pocket, this saviour… I can't thank those two enough…

"Where is it?" My heart pauses. I can't feel it.

I turn my pockets inside out—nothing! No… no, this can't be happening! It must be here somewhere!

I ran back to my mother, rummaged through the side table's drawers… nothing! I clearly remember placing it in my pocket.

I can't… no… I can't lose it… no, there has to be some mistake… no… Now I can feel the tears pouring from my eyes. I feel stolen of all the dignity left of me, I feel like I've been robbed by my own self…

My heart hurts… it's turned to stone, to fire, to a mass of thorns. This can't be real… it can't! After all I've gone through… this can't be real…

I can't do anything now… I'm whimpering… crying… my tears won't stop falling… I can't take this anymore…

Why… why? Mother, could you tell me why? Why is it so unfair!

I wish my screams would reach my father. I wish mother would wake up... I wish she could…

If only they knew all that I've been doing for them. If only they would know what I gave up just to cure mother… the sacrifice I made…giving myself to Muraki-sama… that demon… If only I had the power, if only I was superhuman… If only I could make wishes happen!

What a different world this would be…

But I guess… knowing reality's cruelty… I can only wait for my happiness in my dreams…

Author's note: AUGHHHH! I feel so bad for Hoshi… hai hai…I can't believe it myself. But… haah… I hope you guys liked this chapter. Oh, and if you're a little confused about the appearance of muraki kun… hehehe, I'll explain that in the future chapters. It's actually a little a later in the afternoon when he comes to see Hoshi, if you notice o... Anyways, more to come D BTW, thanks so so so so much for those who've read my fic so far and even reviewed it. I've said it before and I'll say it again, YOU MADE MY DAY!


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